Metamorphosis
by MitsukiShiroi
Summary: [ItaSaku] When Sakura embarks on a search for Sasuke, she is taken hostage by the Akatsuki. Now, she can't deny that the gravitation is pulling her, and the brother of the love of her life together.
1. Chapter 1

**Metamorphosis – an Itachi & Sakura story  
By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**_A/N: _**_My first Naruto story! It's an Itachi x Sakura story so if you have any objections against this pairing, I'd suggest to stop reading and turn around._

_This story is slightly AU. It follows the storyline until chapter 290 and then it diverts from the canon story line._

_**FOR FIRST TIME READERS AFTER JULY 2008: **Metamorphosis was my first fiction and written while I was sixteen years old. My English has since improved tremendously and Metamorphosis has become a thorn in my eye considering all the spelling mistakes etc. Feel free to read it, but please don't leave reviews about how bad the grammar is and how illogical everything seems, **I know**. I'm in the midst of rewriting chapter three right now and will continue rewriting until I feel that it's improved overall._

_So proceed at own risk. If you chose to heed my warning, please try Twilight, Asphyxiation, or another one of the fanfictions listed. :)_

**Chapter One – Descend into Darkness**

She knew she couldn't take this any longer.

It has been six years since she last seen his arrogant smirk; six long years since she heard his magnetic voice and smelled his unique scent that reminded her of rain and forest. Six years since he just knocked her out and left with just two simple words.

Ever since that day, both she and Naruto had tried everything in their power to take their mind off their teammate, to train individually and when the time was ripe, they would meet again and bring Sasuke back.

Which failed miserably since they were never able to find Orochimaru's headquarters, or Sasuke for that matter. It was as if both had vanished into thin air, leaving not even a small trail behind.

Desperate, they had returned after spending two weeks in the Country of Field, attempting to find their lost teammate but never succeeding.

Sakura was sure she was going mad.

She cried when Naruto tried to comfort her, telling her that his promise was eternal; that he'd bring Sasuke back, no matter what. She sobbed as Sai suggested that perhaps Sasuke had left Sound already in search of his older brother. Sakura wept as the annual team photo shoot was announced and Naruto suggested to make a picture of the three of them, while holding a picture of Sasuke in their hands, showing that they still knew who their real teammate was.

And now she was drained.

She had hit rock bottom when Sai stepped out of the shower they were sharing during a C-Class mission, drying his hair. He saw her then and flashed that fake smile of his as the towel fell down to the ground, exposing his hair.

His hair was spiky at the back and she knew it was because he was drying his hair in that place, but she just couldn't get the mental image of Sasuke's hair out of her head then.

When he tried to ask her if something was the matter, she had quickly turned around, ignoring Naruto as he called out her name and locked herself up in her own room, spending the rest of the afternoon crying over a fading image.

The year afterwards, she tried to ignore everything that had any connection with the Uchiha. She tried hating him, but failed miserably as she glanced to their group picture when they had just become Genin. She tried to ignore the pain that he had left in his wake, thinking that one day, it might just go away.

Sakura tried to wish Sasuke away; wish that she had never laid eyes on him, but he would still be there when she woke up.

On her seventeenth birthday, she hoped to find Sasuke standing in front of her door, congratulating her with her birthday as he pressed a present into her hands, Naruto in tow with a smile, telling her that he had kept his promise and brought Sasuke back.

She smiled slightly, mentally complimenting herself for being so naïve throughout the years.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto called her gently, awaking her from her reverie.

Sakura glanced at her right, watching as Naruto landed on the same branch as hers before jumping further. "What is it Naruto?"

His cerulean eyes had lost the spark she was used to seeing as a child. She supposed losing your best friend and not being able to help him would do that to someone. Maybe she had lost her own spark; who knows?

His hair was longer and flatter than before, but it still had that spiky edge to it. Now sporting a Chuunin uniform, Sakura couldn't help but feel saddened with the thought that they'd left their childhood behind, together with Sasuke.

"I was wondering…" Naruto stalled slightly, voice faltering. "Would you… like to eat some ramen with me?"

She remained quiet for a moment, contemplating his offer and Naruto grew more restless with each passing second.

"I'll pay!" he quickly said as an afterthought, making Sakura smile slightly.

"Sure," she nodded and watched as Naruto beamed back like a child who had just been given some candy. She smiled sadly, before focusing on the road ahead of them.

They had just returned from a B-Ranked mission, concerning a certain paranoid Daimyou who thought he needed Shinobi to protect him. But nothing had happened throughout the entire mission and so they returned completely unscathed.

Her eighteenth birthday was during said mission and Naruto had apparently found a way to send one of his Bunshins to the nearest gift shop and buy her a box of chocolates.

She smiled lightly; it was probably the most romantic thing Naruto had ever done for her.

Sakura pondered slightly on what to wear. She wanted to make it special for Naruto, one good, happy memory of her. After all, this was her last chance to eat some ramen together with him.

Because on her eighteenth birthday, she decided to leave Konoha and find Sasuke.

--

"Sakura-chan!"

She chuckled lightly. Leave it to Naruto to call her name, rather than to knock on the door. She waved goodbye at her mother who smiled back at her before continuing to chop the vegetables for dinner.

Walking out of the kitchen, she could hear Naruto yell her name again and balled her first slightly in irritation, before realizing this was the last time she would see Naruto.

She froze in the hallway and for the first time, she doubted her decision. According to her plan, she would eat with Naruto, wait until her mother had fallen asleep before packing her stuff and run off towards Sound.

It seemed like such a good plan.

If only she wouldn't miss her mother, Naruto, Kakashi… Even Ino.

Tears burned in the corners of her eyes as she recognized that she wouldn't see any of them again, and what for? A man… no, a boy of her past who didn't even go out with her once. A boy who blatantly ignored her feelings and ran off to gain power.

But he was also someone else… He was boy who complimented her in order to cheer her up; a boy who fought to protect her. A boy who would lie next to her in the grass during a mission, and his presence would be enough to soothe her and to make her fall asleep. A boy that she _had confessed to love._

Sasuke was a boy and she would have left Konoha to be with him.

Without fully realizing it, she had been crying.

"Sakura?" her mother's voice sounded concerned. "Are you alright? That boy is still calling out to you!"

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts, quickly wiping away the tears that streamed down her cheeks before turning around, meeting her mother's worried glance. "I'm fine. I'll see you tonight."

Her mother nodded with a half-hearted smile and Sakura smiled back before rushing towards the door where the blonde shouted her name once again, this time knocking on the door as well.

She opened the door roughly, stopping Naruto as he attempted to knock again.

"Sakura-chan," he smiled brightly.

"There's no need to break down the door you know," Sakura smiled weakly as she grabbed her boots, putting them on before walking through the threshold, closing the wooden door behind her.

Naruto nodded eagerly. "Sorry, I thought you were gone."

The word 'gone' nearly made her flinch and she bit her lip slightly to stop herself from crying again.

"I was just distracted," she said quietly.

Naruto smiled bright to her, obviously oblivious to her small depression as he led her to Ichiraku.

They shared light conversations as they walked through the illuminated streets of Konoha. Sakura was only listening with one ear though, smiling sadly as she stared at the buildings she used to pass by so easily, not knowing that one day, she might even miss those.

While Naruto was ranting about his latest technique that Jiraiya had taught him, Sakura looked at the academy as they passed it by, vividly remembering all the times that she would sit in the field of flowers with Ino, staying there for hours, just chatting until they saw the sun set and ran off to their respective homes before their mothers became upset.

She missed those days.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Yes?" she asked, half-smiling as she continued reminiscing about her childhood.

"We're here," Naruto grinned widely, propping his arms behind his head. "You sure you're alright Sakura-chan? You seem a little distant tonight."

"I'm fine Naruto," she poked his stomach gently. "Let's go."

She was awarded with another one of his grins as they walked into the small stand.

--

"That was great," Naruto exclaimed as he rubbed over his stomach as they walked away from Ichiraku. "I can't believe how I've lived two and a half years without it."

"Me neither," Sakura chuckled.

He smiled at her, sky-blue eyes fixated on the roseate kunoichi next to him and then his gaze turned serious. "Are you sure you're alright Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, why?" she asked softly.

"You haven't eaten much… I haven't seen you so down since…" his voice wavered slightly and Sakura knew where this was going.

"I'm fine… I just…miss him," she said evasively.

He nodded slightly. "I know… I do too."

They stopped on near the crossroads and Sakura smiled. "I need to go left here."

"I know," Naruto grinned. "Want me to take you home?"

"I'll be fine Naruto," she smiled slightly before stepping towards him.

She ignored his shocked look as she wrapped her arms around him gently, pressing herself against him in a last ditch attempt to memorize the texture of his clothing, the way he smelled like spicy ramen and the way he held her in his arms as he wrapped his own arms around her.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Naruto whispered softly in her ear, making Sakura hold on to him tighter. She never wanted to let go of him; she was secure in his arms and he would protect her from everything, she was sure of it.

If only she loved Naruto.

If only she could forget about Sasuke.

And then the waterworks started, and Sakura cried on Naruto's shoulder as he whispered gentle, soothing words in her ear while stroking over her back. He never asked why she was crying, he just held her in his arms for those precious minutes as she clenched and twisted Naruto's Chuunin uniform in her hands, never wanting to let go.

It took her several minutes to calm down and several more to finally gain the willpower to let go of him.

She was afraid to look him in the eye, afraid that he might see through her instantly. But his hand cupped her chin gently before pushing it up, forcing her to look up and see the sad smile that adorned his lips.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan," he said, voice still as strong as ever. "My promise is still valid. I'll bring Sasuke back."

"I know you will." _And I hope you'll bring me back too._

"You sure you want to go home alone?" Naruto's voice was tinged with concern. "It's no problem for me to take you home."

"I'm sure," she said calmly, forcing herself to smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Naruto grinned at her, before clasping her shoulder. "You take care alright? It'll be fine, trust me."

"I know."

"See you tomorrow," Naruto smiled before turning around as he walked away towards his house. Halfway around, he turned around and waved at her before turning around again.

Sakura just watched him as his form slowly blended and disappeared in the dark shadows.

--

When she got home, her mother was asleep already. Sakura wasn't surprised; her mother went to bed early and woke up early just to make her daughter's breakfast.

Stealthily, she opened the door to her mother's bedroom, and slipped inside before sitting down on the ground, watching her mother's sleeping form.

Biting her lip to quell the tears that were threatening to spill, she gently stroked her mother's hair, making sure that she wouldn't wake up before turning around.

It hurt to know that this would be the last time she would ever see her mother.

Casting one last, lingering look over her shoulder, she sneaked out of the room and walked the stairs up to her room.

She opened the wooden door and walked straight to her closet, knowing that if she stayed any longer, her resolve would fade and she would end up staying in Konoha, rather than searching for Sasuke.

She grabbed her backpack and quickly stowed some of her clothes in it, bandages, a couple of medicines and some anesthetics and finally, the picture of Team Seven.

She glanced at it, longingly as she touched Sasuke's photographed head, enjoying the feel of the cool glass against her warm fingertips.

"Soon Sasuke-kun…" she whispered as she packed the picture.

Glancing around her room for the last time, she refrained herself from crying as she stared at the picture of her and Ino.

She would definitely miss Ino.

She didn't even had the chance to say goodbye.

She trembled slightly as she grabbed two pieces of paper from her desk and hastily scribbled a goodbye note for her mother and one for Naruto.

Sakura knew he would understand. He would hate the fact that she was gone too, but she knew he would understand why she left. Perhaps the one most understanding of her feelings _was_ Naruto.

Placing the two pieces of paper on her bed, she heaved her backpack over her shoulder and turned around without even a second glance. She closed the door behind her and looked around her house before she walked down the stairs as quietly as possible.

She toyed with the thought to see her mother again, but she knew that doing so would only lead into more tears and questions if her mother accidentally woke up and saw her daughter sitting next to her bed, crying her eyes out while carrying a backpack on her shoulder.

Therefore, she settled with touching the wooden door of her mother's bedroom for a while, wishing things could be different before she turned around and left the house.

Luckily, she didn't live far from the gates of Konoha. Sakura wasn't sure how much pain she could handle and for a second actually envied the missing-nin who had carelessly turned their backs against their villages and left to live by themselves.

Vaguely, she wondered how many of them regretted leaving.

She strolled past the academy again, smiling slightly as she remembered all her fond memories in the classroom when everything was still simple. When she would still bicker with Ino about who could sit next to Sasuke.

If she had known that the Chuunin exam would be such a disastrous event for all of them, Sakura wouldn't have shown up. She would have stopped after the written exam, not giving Orochimaru a reason to find Sasuke. She would have protected all of them from the events that happened afterwards.

If she hadn't entered, Sasuke would have never caught Orochimaru's eye and none of this might have happened. There would be three people dining at Ichiraku tonight, rather than two. She could still ask Sasuke if he would go out with her, and perhaps after knowing her for years now, he would say yes.

Sakura knew this was all just a fairytale, but how she wished it could be reality.

She walked past the garden of flowers, picking of the cosmos flowers and smelled it's fresh scent as she placed it, lovingly, inside of her backpack. She would dry the flower later on and keep it as a memento for Ino.

Finally, the gates that led to Konoha's exit came into vision, and with that, the road where her hopes and dreams were crushed; where she had confessed her love for Sasuke and he had declined her once again.

She stopped.

She turned around.

There was still time to go back. This was foolish; she would say goodbye to everybody for Sasuke. She would leave her village, where she had build up a career as a medic-nin, the village where she had turned into a Chuunin.

And for what?

To help a lost boy find her revenge for his older brother? To help him train? She wasn't even sure what she would do once she arrived in Sound.

"_Don't worry Sakura-chan."_

She shivered slightly as a cool night breeze passed her.

"_Don't worry Sakura-san… It'll be fine, I know it will turn out fine. Naruto-kun gave you the 'Nice-guy' pose after all."_

"Lee…" she whispered slightly, remembering how he had tried to cheer her up after the three Genin left to search Sasuke.

"_Sakura… Don't worry, everything will turn out fine."_

"Kakashi-sensei…"

And she took a step back to Konoha.

She was right, this was foolish. Someday, they would all combine their powers and they would bring Sasuke back. This wasn't worth it.

She could lose her life if ANBU found her. For all she knew; Orochimaru or any other Sound-nin would kill her if she arrived there. There was no telling what would happen in the future and it scared her.

In Konoha she would be safe.

In Konoha, she still had everyone else.

She took another step back to Konoha.

"_Sakura."_

She could still hear his voice calling out to her. If she closed her eyes now, Sakura could imagine Sasuke still standing in front of her, his back turned to her, the Uchiha emblem colored in such vivid colors compared to the dark night.

Sakura remembered everything he had told her that night.

He wasn't like her or Naruto… His heart had chosen revenge above them… He found her to be annoying…

"_Sakura…thank you."_

He had thanked her…

"_Sakura."_

She turned around and bit her lip as she stared at the gates that loomed in front of her.

"_Sakura."_

She clenched her fist slightly and took a step towards the gates, steeling her resolve.

Sakura took another step and looked over her shoulder one last time before tears started to sting in the corners of her eyes and she turned back towards the gate and ran over the stone pavement, jaw clenched so hard that it hurt as she ran past the gate and left her home village.

For Sasuke.

--

"Sakura-chan," he knocked on her door as he yelled her name.

This was the second time that she didn't open up immediately and Naruto was getting worried. Usually her mother was home around this hour, and although she still stared him suspiciously, probably thinking that the Kyuubi might pop up any minute, she would always go to Sakura's room and get her to hurry up.

Then again, maybe she was already at the Hokage tower.

With one last scrutinizing look and the awful feeling that something was wrong, Naruto started sprinting towards the Hokage's headquarters; fully aware that he was fifteen minutes late and Tsunade would give him hell.

He dashed past Izumo and Kotetsu, hearing them yell and swear loudly as they dropped the stack of papers they were holding. He yelled an apology back and ran into the headquarters, nearly bumped into Shizune and earned some swearing from her as well.

He apologized quickly before finally reaching the room where Tsunade's office was located.

Without knocking first, he opened the door violently and stepped in, before realizing that Sakura wasn't there.

Instead, Sakura's mother was there, crying quietly and Kakashi was standing in front of Tsunade's desk and had turned slightly to see Naruto enter.

And then it hit him that something bad had happened.

"… What's going on?" he asked, voice faltering slightly. "Where's Sakura-chan?"

"Sit down," Tsunade directed and Naruto immediately spotted the waver in her voice, contradicting the stern manner she regarded him

"What happened?" Naruto asked again, ignoring Tsunade's orders.

"Naruto," Kakashi spoke up, tone serious. "Sit down."

Naruto gave Kakashi an exasperated glance as he stalked forward and sat down on one of the chairs. "Well?"

Usually, Tsunade would rant at him that she was the Hokage and that his bratty little self needed to show her some damn respect, but to his utter surprise, she only sighed forlornly.

"Sakura left Konoha," she said, hiding her face from view as she tried her hardest to overcome the emotions that were in danger of escaping.

Hokages don't cry.

It remained silent after that statement. The only thing Tsunade could still hear were the sobs of Sakura's mother and the harsh breathing of Naruto.

Naruto's world was shattered in that instant.

Everything made sense now.

He understood why she held him so tightly last night, why she had agreed to go on a date with him. Naruto even understood why she cried and why she found it so hard to let go of him. It all made sense.

But he wasn't willing to admit it.

Sakura wouldn't leave. Not after all that they'd been through together. Not after all the promises they made to bring Sasuke back and hit him until he was knocked out and they dragged his sorry ass home.

She could have the first go… he promised that.

Maybe she hadn't left the village… Maybe there was something else going on.

Was it his fault for leaving Sakura alone yesterday? Was she attacked?

"What are you saying Tsunade-baachan…" he whispered hoarsely, chuckling slightly. "Where did she go to? The mission already? Was it because I'm late?"

"You know what I meant," Tsunade said harshly.

"She wouldn't leave," Naruto whispered like a mantra before yelling it out to Tsunade as he rose from his chair. "She wouldn't leave! We were going to bring back Sasuke together!"

"Naruto," Kakashi said his name half-threateningly as he laid one of his large hands on Naruto's shoulder and pushed him back on the chair. "You're talking to the Hokage," he said firmly. "Show some respect."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto rose his voice desperately. "You know that she would never leave! Say something!"

"Calm down," Kakashi said in a low voice, thought Naruto could swear he heard a sympathetic tone in his voice. He heard his teacher sigh softly and clenched his teeth painfully hard in frustration before fixing his gaze back on Tsunade.

"How do you know she's gone by her own free will?" Naruto searched desperately for another solution to the mystery surrounding Sakura's disappearance. "Maybe someone kidnapped her!"

"She left a note," Sakura's mother finally spoke up, voice quivering somewhat as she stared at Naruto through her tears.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Tsunade was finally looking up as well.

Shocked, he muttered the only thing that he could at that moment. "What did it say?"

Wordlessly, she fumbled to get something out of her pocket, before thrusting it to Naruto, who accepted the small scrap of paper wordlessly. Still staring at Sakura's mother in puzzlement, he opened the letter and stared at Sakura's hastily scribbled handwriting.

_I'm so sorry Naruto._

He trembled slight as tears started to well up in the corners of his eyes. No matter how hard he tried to be strong, this always happened for some reason. He tried protecting everybody and yet failed to protect the two people closest to his heart.

And he was supposed to become a Hokage? Someone who could protect an entire village?

He wasn't even fit to protect his own friends.

Tears dripped down from his nose onto the paper, staining the ink. The tears blurred his vision as he crumpled the letter in his hands, unaware of the fact that Tsunade had stood up and was walking towards him with a sympathetic and sad look in her eyes. Unaware to Kakashi's hand which had involuntarily gripped his shoulder somewhat harder. He was even oblivious to the fact that Sakura's mother was crying again.

"Why…?" he asked to nobody in particular.

"Why what?" Kakashi asked gently, the firm tone from before gone.

"Why is everybody leaving me?"

--

**_A/N: _**_Chapter revised at July 27th. I hope you all enjoyed it!_

_Thank you Stem for betaing!_

_See you next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	2. Chapter 2

**Metamorphosis – an Itachi & Sakura story  
By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/N: **__Chapter rewritten on the 22__nd__ of April, 2008._

**Chapter Two – Encounter**

She carefully hid herself in the foliage of the large trees that surrounded the forest near the border of the Country of Fire, observing the ANBU members as they stood still on the ground for a moment, their kunai drawn ominously.

Trying her hardest to regulate her breathing, she drew her own kunai from her pouch, gripping the cold metal hard as the ANBU looked up, scanning the trees and the environment. Her heart nearly pounded out of her chest as one of the members wearing a raccoon mask glanced directly into her direction and she stirred uncomfortably until he relinquished his gaze and pocketed his kunai again.

They stood still for a moment longer, then hastily dashed away.

Sakura exhaled in relief, moving from her awkward position as soon as she felt the ANBU were on a decent distance, then jumped down the tree and landed on a branch near the ground.

Twenty-one days had passed since she left Konoha, but the borders were guarded by ANBU members who circled around in groups of four.

A half-starved kunoichi who lived on the fruits and food the forest provided would be little treat to them, even if she was trained by Tsunade. Her inhuman strength and medical jutsu relied on her chakra and she was completely depleted daily as she tried to get as far away from Konoha as she could, using genjutsu to stealthily make her way out of situations where ANBU would arrive whilst she tried to escape.

She had meant to go around Konoha, leaving through the Country of River and making her way to Sound from there on, hoping that Tsunade would send them directly to the Valley of the End and from there on out to Sound in hopes of finding her immediately.

What she hadn't included in her seemingly brilliant plan was the notion that the ANBU security and surveillance around the borders of River were tightened since a couple of years, after they found out that Akatsuki's headquarters was most probably stationed there. In an attempt to make sure at least Naruto would be save, security had been doubled there and it was becoming increasingly hard to make her way through the relatively small forest and cross into River.

"_Stupid_," she whispered under her breath as she jumped away from the branch and made her way though the forest, hoping to finally exit the country before the next batch of the elite forces would show up.

Thankfully peering to the sky, seeing that the sun was beginning to set, she jumped from tree to tree, she paused on every step, carefully listened to hear if she could hear anyone approaching and tried to sense if enemy chakra was nearing her, but nobody came. Satisfied, Sakura quickly continued, stopping only as she saw the border and the wooden cabin that stood there, light emanating from the windows, signaling that someone was inside on guard duty.

'_There should be some ANBU members around here as well,' _she realized and made her way down to the ground without making a sound. Sakura crept towards some of the bushes, then squatted down as soon as she found a decent place to hide. There was no doubt in her mind that the best moment to pass the border would be when it was completely dark to avoid as much attention as she could.

As she scanned the vicinity, she quickly realized that there were two ANBU members standing guard nearby.

The setting sun cast long shadows on the muddy ground, giving Sakura enough space to hide away from the two perceptive gazes of the ANBU members. She ducked away from sight just as one of the ANBU members looked into her direction, his face hidden behind the trademark mask.

Sakura held her breath, afraid that the observent shinobi might have caught a glimpse of her with his keen eyes. Her fear intensified exponentially as she heard a twig break under the man's boot. He was definitely getting closer.

But Sakura was a trained kunoichi. As stealthy as she possible could, Sakura crept away, careful not making a sound, moving only when the evening breeze passed by, using the rustling of leaves as a camouflage for her quick escape.

The forest became darker and darker as the sun disappeared behind clouds, now simply a red circle on the horizon. The sky was colored with brilliant shades of peach, crimson and mauve, blending in more and more until it was completely blue. After the sun had set completely, the sky turned dark blue and the color ironically reminded her of Sasuke's eyes. "Midnight blue," she whispered under her breath, careful not to speak too loud, in case the ANBU member was nearby.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity of silence, one of the men talked calmly about how boring their shift was. As more men joined in on the conversation, Sakura finally gained the courage to glance around the trunk she was leaning against. They stood a few yards away from her, backs turned, completely absorbed in their conversation.

Knowing that this was her only chance, Sakura moved along, using the bushes and the foliage of the trees as a cover while racing from one side to another. Amazingly enough, none of the ANBU members had noticed her passing by as she reached the other end of the border. Sakura made a mental note to tell Tsunade about the slacking members.

She halted, freezing on the spot. Resisting the urge to laugh at herself, she shook her head, mentally berating herself. Sakura wasn't even sure if she'd even get to see Sasuke, much less return to Konoha in one piece. To think about what to say to Tsunade about the shinobi that actually stayed in the village simply seemed silly.

Sakura sighed softly, then stopped midstride, realizing that the ANBU members suddenly came closer. Hastily, she ducked under a bush and waited for them to pass her by as they jumped into the branches and farther away from her.

Taking that as her cue, Sakura dashed away as fast as she could, completely exhausted and the slightest twinge of regret occupying her mind. She afforded one glance back to the Fire Country, the place that had been her home. It seemed like a faraway place now, somewhere she couldn't return unless she brought back Sasuke.

Resolve burned in her eyes as she relinquished her gaze and moved farther into the Country of River.

--

"Itachi-san," Kisame growled, glancing up to the east as he readjusted Samehada on his back. His razor-sharp teeth were bared as he grinned to no-one in particular, mulling over the chakra level that was nearing them.

Uchiha Itachi stood very still, glancing into the same directions from the corners of his eyes as he rebuttoned his Akatsuki cloak. Normally, Kisame wouldn't even get excited about anyone nearing them. Most people didn't know about Akatsuki, which enabled the both of them to move around the countries without too much hassle.

But Itachi knew this particular chakra level. It belonged to the medical kunoichi that was with Uzumaki Naruto – the kyuubi, when he battled him for a second time. "Haruno… Sakura…" he whispered in his velvet, deep voice, still looking into that particular direction.

Quickly, he weighed out the pros and cons of searching her out. To do anything rashly would be unnecessary and unlike him. And his gut was now telling him that it was the right time for him to move. "Kisame," he whispered, barely audible, but enough for Kisame to nod and jump into the trees.

Itachi hesistated for a second, crimson eyes locked on nothing in particular as he observed that general path. Though it was probably a good decision, something did not sit well with him.

Only time would tell exactly what.

He blinked once and followed Kisame into the trees as they swiftly made their way to their unsuspecting target.

--

Sakura was a day removed from the Fire Country's border now and though she was happy with her progress, certain problems had occurred. For instance, the fact that the River Country apparently had a serious lack of fruits that grew on trees. Also, most rivers she passed were completely devoid of fish, leaving her with nothing to eat except an apple that she had taken along with her just before crossing the border.

Her stomach growled and Sakura could feel herself weakening. The constant use of chakra that she used to move faster was helpful, but also tiring. And the lack of sleep was maddening. Dark circles had formed under her eyes and her tired eyelids closed every once in a while, only to snap up when she heard something more in the vicinity.

Sleep was overtaking her now as dark spots danced in front of her eyes. Sakura halted on the mossy ground, managing to stride towards a tree. She sat down, leaning against the harsh wooden trunk, ignoring the bumps that stuck in her back. Once in a while, she opened her eyes again, hoping that the fatigue had passed.

But eventually, it became increasingly harder for her to open her eyes again, until finally, she gave in and nodded off. For the first time since leaving, she dreamt.

A small upturn of the lips adorned her face as her dream took her back to Konoha, to the field of cosmos flowers that she had frequently visited with Ino.

--

The first sign of trouble came when the dream abruptely ended. Sakura could suddenly clearly feel two chakra levels extremely closeby and her eyes flew open in shock. Hurriedly, she drew a kunai from her pouch, crouching down in a fighting stance as the first person landed in front of her.

Her eyesight was still bleary, but the long red and black cloaks immediately told her that she was in big trouble. As she glanced up to the man's face, she noticed his grey-blue tinted skin, his razor sharp teeth and the rotting odor that rolled out of his mouth with every breath he took. It blew in her face and Sakura resisted the urge to hurl, knowing that this was no opponent to be underestimated.

"Hoshigaki Kisame," she said, gripping her kunai even harder. "I recognize your face from the file we have on you."

"I feel so honored," Kisame grinned in response as he moved his hand to his back. He grabbed Samehada and pulled it off the belt that was strapped over his back. Some of the bandages that were wrapped around the sword let go, allowing Sakura to see the sharp edges sticking out. "Introductions come later though."

She gritted her teeth, readying herself for combat. But with the speed of light, Itachi interjected, appearing in front of her. Astonished, Sakura glanced up to regard her new adversary, but Itachi's crimson Sharingan had changed already into pinwheels and swept her away.

Sakura barely had time to scream before fear overtook her completely.

--

"Tsukiyomi already huh?" Kisame grunted, glancing at the kunoichi as she screamed loudly, eyes widened in horror. Then, she slumped to the ground and it became eerily quiet.

Itachi blinked twice, allowing his eyes to return to their original color for a moment as he glanced down the kunoichi. The pink thresses and the clothing left no doubt about it. Long, pale fingers stretched out to brush some bubblegum strands away, revealing the forehead protector and Konoha's symbol on it.

Cupping her chin, he tilted her head upwards so that he could get a good look at her face. Her cheeks were hollowed and her skin looked unnaturally grey. Dark circles were prominent under her eyes, long lashes cast shadows on her pale cheeks. Her swoon had left a light sheen of sweat on her face.

"It was not Tsukiyomi," Itachi said simply, still regarding the kunoichi's face. "Just a mere illusion."

"She succumbed quickly," Kisame noted, stepping closer as he slid his sword back on his back. He cocked his head to the side, still grinning widely as he observed Sakura momentarily. "Will we use her as bait for the kyuubi, Itachi-san?"

Itachi remained quiet for a second, pondering over a million issues in his head as it seemed. Then finally, he let go of her face and stepped away from her unconscious body. "Take her along," he instructed calmly before disappearing into thin air.

Kisame grunted in response, not quite happy with the prospect of having to carry the girl back to the inn where they were going to lodge for a while. But Itachi's orders were law and Kisame knew fully well that if he'd return without the kunoichi, consequences would be dire.

With another sigh, he heaved the girl over his shoulder and followed Itachi, cursing under his breath as thunder crashed in the sky. Rain started to pour down relentlessly, causing Kisame to utter some vulgar words to the sky. Sakura slid off his shoulder as he reached over to grab the kunai she had dropped, falling on the unforgiving floor, her knee banging against a loose branch on the ground.

He glanced at the pink haired kunoichi and grinned widely. It had been a long time since they used a bait to lure in a Jinchuuriki, and he was sure this time would be as fun as the last time they used one.

--

The first thing she could feel was the sharp pain that flamed through her knee. Sakura groaned hard, fighting to open her eyes. She struggled against her instincts to lay completely still on the floor so that the pain in her knee wouldn't flare and sat up straight.

The room was dimly lit, not allowing her to see much of the environment she was currently in. She rubbed her head, quickly regathering her memories, groaning even harder as she realized that she had stumbled onto two Akatsuki members. The day couldn't possibly get any worse.

She held out her arm, faintly noticing the wall there as the soft light bounced off the white wall to the floor. Using the wall as a leverage, Sakura attempted to stand up, gritting her teeth so hard it hurt. But her knee was too painful to stand up and she landed back on the hard, wooden floor. Stifling a gasp of pain, she crawled to the wall and leaned against it, propping her knee up against her stomach.

Sakura molded as much chakra as she could to her hand, quickly forming some handseals. Her hand moved to her knee, and she sighed in instant relief as the pain weakened under her warm touch. To Sakura, it almost felt as if her chakra was kneading the pain away.

It was then that she heard two people nearing the room. Their pacing was calm, as if they weren't in a hurry and all Sakura could do was grimace. Being a hostage of Akatsuki promised little good and it would stall her from her destinations. Her grimace slowly turned into a scowl and by the time the door opened, Sakura was infuriated, squinting her eyes as a bright light streamed into the room through the now open door.

"Hello kunoichi," Kisame's raspy voice sounded from the door opening. Sakura held up her hand to block out the blinding lights and could barely make out Kisame's huge sillouette in the threshold. "She's awake, Itachi-san. What should we do now?" he said, not to her, but to the figure that had suddenly appeared beside him.

Itachi was significantly shorter, but that wasn't such a difficult feat when Kisame was your partner, Sakura noticed. Overall, perhaps he was just a feet or two taller than her.

Immediately, Sakura started to ponder about the possible escaping options. Though Itachi was the smaller one, she knew he was significantly stronger than Kisame. And his eyes could disable her for days. She clenched her jaw. "What do you want with me?"

"Are you able to stand?" Uchiha Itachi's soft voice drifted through the room as he completely ignored her previous question.

A little disappointed that she had been unable to evoke a reaction out of the Uchiha, she pushed herself up. Her knee was still hurting, but it was a dull pain now instead of the flaming pain she had felt earlier. Her knees buckled under her after she attempted to take a step into their direction, signaling that she was incredibly tired.

Another attempt sent her back to the floor and Sakura bit her lip until it bled, unwilling to cry out in pain now that those two Akatsuki members stood in front of her. Her knees throbbed violently, but Sakura knew she had to stand up. She most certainly did not want to test Itachi's patience.

Feeling the sharingan piercing through the darkness, she tried to stand up again, and failed miserably. As she massaged her painfully purple knee, Itachi suddenly appeared in front of her, taking her by surprise. Itachi stared down at her, emotionlessly then bowed down, roughly taking her wrist in his hand. He helped her up, allowing her to hold on to his large hand for support while he calmly trotted out of the room.

Sakura fumed with anger, trying her best not to cry out in pain while Itachi walked in front of her in a fast pace. He didn't even bother to check if she was alright.

Finally, her knee gave into the pain and became numb. She pulled away from Itachi's strong hand and allowed herself to sit down on the floor. She tried to activate her chakra once more to heal herself.

A barely audible sigh was heard, and she was suddenly being hoisted up over his shoulder, her face facing his back as he made his way to a door.

It didn't even occur to her to yell at him for obvious reasons.

First of all, she was scared. This was a killer that stood out among killers. Itachi was legendary. Secondly, the warmth of his back and shoulder radiating to her body was pleasant, as her body felt like it was made out of ice. When he finally let go of her, and she sat down on the ground while he opened up the door. Now that he wasn't holding onto her anymore, she felt strangely numb.

He opened up the door and gestured for her to go in. Knowing that this wasn't the time to complain or disobey his requests, she stood up slowly and walked into the room, passing Itachi on her way in.

Similar to the previous room, this room was also completely dark and Sakura waited patiently for her eyes to adjust to the gloomy atmosphere.

"Why did you bring me here?" Sakura questioned numbly.

"I wasn't aware you might prefer to sleep in the hallway," Itachi said in his usual quiet, baritone voice. "Sleep," he directed before walking out of the doorway. "Kisame stands guard," he added, almost as an afterthought, before closing the door behind him.

--

_**A/N: **__Whew, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!_

_See you next time!_

_-- Mitsuki Shiroi_


	3. Chapter 3

**Metamorphosis – an Itachi & Sakura story.**

**By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto

_**A/N: **__Chapter rewritting the 15__th__ of June, 2008._

**Chapter Three – The Red Moon Calls**

The rain storm of that particular afternoon had ensured a clear, star-shot night. The moon's bright rays reflected on the wet surfaces of the stones that paved the way to the Uchiha district.

Behind her, the loud bustle of the town was getting more hushed as she moved closer and closer to the completely still area. All she could hear now was the faint sound of crickets that now inhabited the abandoned complex and the occasional sounds of birds flying over.

Though everything seemed peaceful, for some reason, it looked off to her. As though she was missing something of the utmost importance, but she couldn't identify what it was until she stepped into the Uchiha district and realized that the house to the far north was devoid of light.

Usually, Sasuke was in the room that looked over the district by this time, reading through some of his scrolls as he apparently prepared for another day. She didn't knew how many times she had watched him do that, but it was always a soothing sight to see that he was still there, especially after Itachi had shown up so suddenly a few weeks ago.

But this time, he wasn't there. The room was dark and there was no sign of life anywhere around her.

Behind her, a twig cracked.

She whirled around and saw Sasuke. He was walking away from her, his hands pocketed in his white shorts. Then she noticed the full backpack and the fact that he wasn't wearing his forehead protector.

Sakura cried out to him, but he didn't turn around.

Instead, he just walked on until she couldn't see him anymore.

"Don't!" she called out, her emerald eyes opened wide. Her hand was stretched out towards the grimy ceiling, the dream still vividly etched into her mind.

Disorientated, Sakura glanced around the room.

It was cold inside as she disentangled herself from the white sheets, sitting upright as she inspected the rest of the small room, noticing that she was completely alone.

She swore profusely as memories from the previous day flooded her mind. Itachi and Kisame were near, Sakura knew that much. Escape was not probable, but she could either make it work or die trying. There was no way in hell that she'd be kept a hostage of Akatsuki.

Hastily, she slid off the bed, noticing her boots near the window. Sakura didn't even take the time to put them on, knowing that either one of them could be back any minute now and escape would be impossible from then on.

Sakura grabbed the handle for the window, trying to lift it up without making too much noise. But the window was old and creaked with every inch. She cursed violently under her beath, trying to slide it open quickly now without pulling the entire wall out with her strength.

"Nice try kunoichi," a deep, raspy voice sounded from behind her.

Gritting her teeth, she turned around to see Kisame's face, a mocking grin adorning his blue lips. "Very unpredictable too," he said, sarcasm saturating his voice.

He was leaning against the wall next to the door, his immense sword leaning against his hip, handle in his hands. Evidently, Kisame was going to attack her if she would make one more move.

Automatically, Sakura reached for her kunai pocket, ready to attack him as soon as he came for her. But her pouch had been removed, as was the pouch filled with senbon that used to be strapped on to the back of her skirt.

"Are you going to fight me, kunoichi?" Kisame said, laughing shortly. "Amusing."

"I am," she said darkly, dropping into her fighting stance. Though she was exhausted beyond beliefs, her chakra almost completely depleted from running constantly through the countries since her escape from Konoha, the last thing Sakura would ever do was give into Akatsuki.

But before she could even make a move, the door opened again and this time, Itachi stepped inside. He quickly assessed the situation, glancing from Kisame to Sakura. He kept his piercing eyes on her for a while, observing her as though she was a mouse in a cage, waiting to be experimented on.

"Dinner," Itachi said, gesturing towards the hallway. "Follow me," he said to Sakura, his soft voice compelling, threatening.

"What do you want with me?" Sakura said as Itachi turned to step out of the room again.

He glanced over his shoulder. "We'll discuss this while eating. Now come."

She stood still.

"Kisame," Itachi said. Kisame grinned as he grabbed his sword. Within a split second, he had disappeared from the place he was standing and stood behind Sakura.

"Relax kunoichi," Kisame said as Sakura turned around, accumulating the last of her chakra into her fist. "We're not going to kill you…"

She lowered her arm a little bit, incredulous.

"Yet," he added with another grin, exposing his razor sharp teeth to her. As he exhaled, some of his vile breath fanned over her face, nauseating her immediately. She fought back the urge to hurl, took a few steps backwards until she stood in the middle of the room, Itachi on one side, Kisame on the other.

"What do you want with me?" she asked again, turning to Itachi.

Itachi said nothing as he turned to face her completely, his crimson eyes blank. "I don't like repeating myself kunoichi."

With that, he stepped outside the room and sauntered away.

Quickly deliberating, Sakura looked towards the open door and then over her shoulder to see Kisame standing there, the insane grin still apparently on his disfigured face. Clearly, she didn't have an option but to follow Itachi right now and see what they wanted with her.

Her eyes narrowed as she walked back towards the window, picking up the boots she had dropped in the heat of the moment. Kisame watched her with disinterest as she put them on quickly. "Will you be standing here all the time?" she finally asked, annoyed by his very presence.

Kisame answered by laughing, following her as she followed Itachi out of the room and steered her towards a larger room to their left. She didn't even get much more time to inspect the place they were lodging in as Kisame pushed her into the room.

A large wooden table stood in the middle, Itachi seated at the head. There were some bags with a restaurant's name on it; take out. She almost snorted, realizing that she never even thought about Itachi and Kisame cooking for themselves. It sounded almost silly and she nearly broke into hysterical laughter as she imagined Kisame with a frilly apron standing in front of a stove.

Itachi evidently noticed her barely concealed laughter as he raised his eyebrows slightly, obviously under the impression that she had completely lost it.

"I'm surprised you find this entire situation laughable, kunoichi," Itachi said, gesturing to a chair on his left side while Kisame sat on the opposite side of the table.

Sakura sat down on her designated spot, eyeing Kisame as he dove into one of the bags, hunger displayed clearly in his round eyes. "I was just thinking about Kisame in an apron. He seems to be your dog so I assumed he would cook for you too."

Kisame looked up, the grin gone from his mutated features. He didn't seem to appreciate the jibe.

Inner Sakura cheered her on.

He threw the smallest package towards her and she caught it midair, slowly removing the lid from the plastic cup, noticing the noodles inside. She eyes them warily and then looked at Kisame as she replaced the lid and slid away from food from her, ignoring the sounds her stomach was making.

"You're rude kunoichi," Kisame said, grinning widely as he opened his own package.

Sakura choose to ignore him. Instead, she looked at Itachi as he opened his package calmly, grabbing one of his red dumplings. He turned the full force of his intense red eyes on her as he took a bite, unmistakably waiting for her to make the first move.

"Deidara isn't here?" Kisame asked, oblivious to obvious tension as Sakura struggled to formulate a good opening sentence.

"No," Itachi said, his eyes still focussed on Sakura.

"Deidara?" she queried, trying to sound disinterested. If she was to be a hostage for Akatsuki for the time being, or whatever it was they wanted with her, it might be best to win as much information about their organization as she could muster.

With a slight pang, Sakura also realized that it might be a good bargaining chip to try and get back into Tsunade's good graces.

"Damn," Kisame swore, rummaging through the remaining bags. "They forgot half of my order again."

Cursing pungently under his breath, Kisame stood up and dashed out of the room, abandoning his food and present company completely.

Sakura pulled her eyebrows together. Granted, she had never actually interacted with any S-Class criminals, but Kisame seemed to be a comedian, rather than a true member of Akatsuki.

"Kunoichi," Itachi woke her from her reverie, demanding attention with his deep voice. She turned to meet his gaze, holding his eyes as she fought back the fear that bubbled up inside of her. It was only natural to be fearful of this man; he had killed an entire clan single-handedly, but it wouldn't be wise to show exactly how scared she was of him.

Shinobi rule number twenty-five; never show emotions.

"Sakura," she said, keeping her voice neutral. "Haruno Sakura."

He cocked his head slightly. "I apologize for being rude, Haruno-san."

She nodded, satisfied. At least he seemed to be somewhat dignified still.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Itachi said in that deep baritone voice of his. "You're a medic kunoichi who has been trained by the Fifth herself."

"Correct," she said after a short pause, knowing that lying would get her nowhere.

Itachi nodded, taking another bite of his dumpling. "And you've left Konoha."

She remained quiet. It wasn't a question anyway, more a statement. Naturally it was clear to him that she had left Konoha. She was alone, without a team, without any other Konoha ninja with her. Sakura had been hungry and tired when he had found her. It was obvious.

Her silence apparently was enough of an answer to him.

Kisame took that moment to stomp inside again, a small bag in his hand. He grumbled something under his breath, seated himself and grabbed the rest of his food before. Without saying another word, he started shoving large quanities of food into his mouth, apparently still upset over the fact that he had to run after whoever had brought the food.

"Little brat ran off with the rest of my food," Kisame grumbled at Itachi, pieces of fish between his sharp teeth apparent.

Itachi was quiet for a moment. "Kisame, the matter I asked you about?"

Kisame swallowed. "Handled that already."

They ate in silence while Sakura sat silently, still refusing to eat her food. Itachi sometimes glanced at her, apparently mulling over something as his crimson eyes scrutinized her. Kisame was staring at her as well, a horrifying grin playing around his thin lips as he chewed on his fish.

It felt uncomfortable for her to be there, in the presence of two extremely strong criminals. They were strong enough to defeat the strongest Jounin from her village and now she was sitting across from them, watching them eat. Part of her wanted to run away as quickly as she could, but common sense told her to stay put, knowing that they would finish eating soon and she would finally get to learn why she was there.

Itachi finished first. He turned his powerful gaze towards her, searching her eyes for answers as he puzzled together his words. "Sakura-san," he started softly.

His intense eyes were making her anxious and Sakura could nearly feel her heart stop completely while Itachi deliberated on what to say.

Itachi was a man that seemed to think everything over, even shortest of sentences were thought over before he finally uttered them. It was disheartening to know that she was now, seemingly, the hostage of a man whose intelligence might be surpassing hers. Not to mention his physical strength. It was as if she were up against some kind of machine that could predict her every movement, especially with his Sharingan.

"Why are you here?" he asked finally, voice void of emotion.

She held her breath momentarily, quickly thinking about her options. If she lied to Itachi, he would kill her. There was no doubt in her mind that Itachi did not like to be lied to and the threat was clear in his crimson eyes. He definitely knew that lying might be part of her plan.

Hesitantly, Sakura answered, trying her hardest to keep her voice under control. "Sasuke."

Kisame looked up, chewing slowly on his food, now interested in whatever Sakura had to say. Itachi said absolutely nothing, he just blinked once, slowly, as he took in the information.

"I'm here because of Sasuke," she said quietly.

--

It was a grim day. Though it was the middle of summer, the usually azure sky was now grey, little to no sunlight penetrated the thick layer of grey clouds. The entire sky just seemed murky, depressing and certainly did fit Hatake Kakashi's current mood.

He glanced outside as he readjusted the mask around his mouth and nose, ignoring the small itch as the fabric wrapped tightly around his heated skin. Kakashi glanced at the grey fabric of his ANBU vest, toying with the roughened texture between his calloused fingers. If he looked more closely, some light red stains still remained on the vest, an eternal tribute to his work as an ANBU member.

When Kakashi had taken the vest off for the last time, he had hoped that it had been for the last time. ANBU, though most of his good friends were from that time, was horrible. Days of strolling around the border and tough fights with incredibly strong shinobi were daily business, as was patrolling every 10 minutes, over and over, until they had no more chakra left.

And yet here he was, pulling the vest over his head once more.

But he wasn't the only one. Due to recent developments in Konoha, namely Sakura's escape and Sasuke's current situation, Tsunade had been forced to take action. Thus she had sent out the best of the best, knowing that if the worst came to pass, they would have to fight Orochimaru, and unless the shinobi she sent were amazingly well prepared, it would end disastrous.

Thus Kakashi had been sent out, together with Lee and Gai, Konoha's presumed taijutsu specialists. Also, Nara Shikamaru had been put into the team as well, providing to be a great help when it came to distracting the enemy and help out with stategic decisions. Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru for the tracking, Hyuuga Neji for the scouting and Shiranui Genma as one of the all round shinobi Tsunade sent along.

Naturally, Naruto had insisted on coming along, though Tsunade had planned to leave him out during this battle. The Fifth knew precisely that Sasuke and Sakura were Naruto's weak spots and that it might make the entire operation even more complicated than it already was. But there was no stopping Naruto on this. Kakashi knew, Tsunade knew.

To Naruto, this wasn't an act of courage, like Sakura's had been. In Naruto's eyes, this was the logical decision; there had not been any other options and for Naruto to let go of the both of them… well, Kakashi was sure that would never happen.

He tied his scarlet scarf around his neck and placed the mask over his head. Momentarily, he stepped towards the picture of Yondaime and his team, allowing the tops of his fingers to touch the cool glass of the frame, moving over Obito first, before moving on to Rin and finally Yondaime – Namikaze Minato.

With an odd sense of clarity and déjà vu, Kakashi moved the mask until it was covering his complete face and hastily made his way out through the window, towards the Hokage's administration building.

--

"He always complains about me not being on time and how he hates making others wait, but now look at the time… yeah," a dark shadow on top of one of the many mountains that surrounded the Hidden Village of Stone said, as he looked down upon his former village with one sky-blue eye.

He made a fist with his hand, and reopened it, inspecting the hungry mouths on the inside of his hands, their tongues darting outside, hoping to get some more clay. The blond smirked at them as he stuck his hands into his pockets, allowing them to eat off one of his most precious versions of his chakra-infused clay.

"Deidara…" an ominous voice said from behind him. Deidara didn't even tense anymore. Sasori's distinct way of moving was impossible to be irrecognizable. It was probably the slow strut and the dragging of his cloak on the ground as he made his way to his partner.

"Yes, danna?" he said, turning around to see Sasori coming closer.

"Kisame called in. They need you in River."

Deidara raised his eyebrow. "Why me?"

"Leader wants it that way. Now go. I'll handle this," Sasori rasped.

"I'm always missing the fun… yeah," Deidara said, shaking his head as he retracted his hands from his pocket. "Don't go too crazy."

Sasori simply smirked before accelerating. He rushed past Deidara and jumped off the ridge, landing a good twenty feet underneath Deidara. Without even as much as a final glance, Sasori moved away in his usually calm pace.

"Well… I'll be going then… yeah."

--

_**A/N: **__I hope I satisfied everybody's needs with this chapter! _

_I'll see you soon!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	4. Chapter 4

**Metamorphosis – an Itachi & Sakura story.**

**By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto

_**A/N: **__Chapter rewritten August 19, 2008._

**Chapter Four – Sinking into Deep Water**

Utter silence greeted her after she uttered Sasuke's name. Kisame's amused stare was obvious, his vicious grin revealing remains of food between his razor sharp teeth as his horrid breath blew into her face. Itachi on the other hand wasn't showing any visible emotion – as always.

She focused on his Akatsuki cloak, trying to avoid those intense crimson eyes of his.

The tension in the air was thick and nerve-wracking, and the knowledge that she might be turned into food for the dogs in a few minutes only served to fuel her fear. Her hands were shaking and her heart was beating erratically. For some reason, it felt as if Itachi could see all of that happening inside her body.

'_Calm down_,' Inner Sakura thought. '_This isn't helping_.'

Under her inner voice, she concentrated on stopping the shaking. Itachi and Kisame were two Akatsuki members. After everything she had learned about that wretched organization, she should definitely know better than to show how scared she actually was of the both of them. Itachi especially. While Kisame was the brawl of the duo, Itachi's intelligence absolutely matched hers, or even exceeded hers. And there was no doubt in her mind that out of the two of them, Itachi was the better fighter.

A short glance at his Sharingan reminded her exactly why Kisame even was obedient.

"Your orientation seems to be off, Sakura-san," Itachi's reply sounded, cutting through the tense air. Kisame chuckled under his breath as she looked up to meet Itachi's gaze. "Sasuke is not here."

A bit annoyed by his remark, Sakura replied: "I was trying to make my way out of the Fire country first, in case ANBU squads would have been sent out."

"And what, ANBU members don't cross borders?" Kisame said, laughing louder now.

Kisame's taunting rang true. She had been too hasty in her decision to leave, not even thinking about the best route. Her best plan had been to go to River first and make her way north and finally eastward.

But as Kisame's laughing continued, Sakura realized one thing with relief: they weren't going to kill her for going to Sound. It had been her greatest fear, that either Itachi or Kisame might have attacked her on the spot for going towards Orochimaru. He was, afterall, an enemy of Akatsuki as well.

Neither of them had seemed surprised though. Perhaps she was even more transparent than she had originally thought.

As she observed Itachi's handsome face, he seemed to be mulling over something, his eyes unseeing and a million miles away from the small wooden table he was sitting at. Then Itachi blinked and returned. His eyes swept over her face for a moment, before they turned towards the hallway.

A second later, a soft knock was heard.

Kisame stood up, giving into a tongue-curling yawn, exposing all his sharp teeth and his blue-tinted tongue in the meanwhile. He caught Sakura staring and grinned widely, obviously enjoying her apparent disgust.

He swept away from the table dramatically, his open cloak billowing behind him, the tell-tale red clouds moving with every step he took. When Kisame returned, he was suddenly devoid of the gills on his face, as well as the grey-blue tinted skin and the round eyes. He looked like someone she could pass on the streets without questioning his appearance.

Shocked, her mouth fell open, until he released the transformation and turned back into the form she had come to hate during the past couple of days. "Simple henge," Kisame grinned, throwing one of the packages at her. "Can't go announcing to the world that I'm Hoshigaki Kisame, can I?"

As he sat down, Kisame glanced at Itachi. "Itachi-san…" he trailed off, but Itachi seemed to understand.

"We wait. There will be an oppertune time," Itachi said, opening his package. As he deftly moved the sleeves of his cloak out of the way, Sakura noticed his long fingers, his nails painted a dark shade of purple.

Itachi investigated the rice for a brief moment, as Kisame went towards the tap, producing a glass from a cabinet. He filled it with water and put it down in the middle of the table. Itachi picked up some grains and threw them into the water.

The confusion must have been apparent on her face as Kisame smirked. "New kind of poison. It's color and odorless, yet when you throw it into the water, infected food will change colors."

She nodded. As missing nin's, they would probably know every sort of poison or any other intoxicating medicine that could put them out long enough for the hunter nins to kill them. As Kisame mirrored Itachi's movements, and seemed satisfied that the rice didn't change its color, she proceeded to eat. Just before she could bring the small amount of rice to her lips, Itachi's hand encircled her wrist in a fashion that showed her that he could easily break her hand if he applied anymore pressure.

"I-Itachi-san, you're hurting me!" Sakura flinched as she tried to break free from his iron grasp. She had hoped that his grip would slightly lessen, but it didn't. Itachi leaned forward, meeting her frightened gaze with his fiery, red Sharingan.

"Test it," he said, the calm of his voice deceptively dangerous. She deemed it best not to fight him over it and quickly threw some grains into the water. Itachi let go of her hand and she quickly retracted it under the table, massaging her sore skin.

Thee pairs of eyes were trimmed on the glass of water, watching for any irregular change. As none came, Sakura breathed a sigh in relief and glanced up at Itachi, mildly annoyed. But as she watched him watch the glass, something in his expression changed for a brief second, before reverting back to blank.

She followed his gaze and her eyes widened as she noticed the water in the glass had gone blood-red.

After a tense moment, Itachi spoke up: "Six ANBU. Hunters." It remained quiet for a while. "Kisame." Itachi's voice was calm and leveled, but there was something in it that immediately forced Kisame to stand up. The shark nodded, grabbed the gigantic sword that leaned against the wall and placed it on his back, patting it lovingly.

"Seems Samehada and I will be having some fun at last," he said, grinning as he sauntered off.

"Kisame," Itachi's voice was tinged with some unspoken command.

"I know," Kisame said from the hallway.

As Kisame left the building, Itachi stood up, unbothered as he grabbed his package and emptied it in the garbage bin. He turned around to face Sakura, grabbing the package he had been hiding under his chair as he walked back.

Her eyes were still fixed on the glass, shock registering in them, and also, disbelief.

Itachi placed the box in front of her, waking her from her trance. She eyed it once and looked at Itachi. "What is this?"

"Your new clothes. Put them on. We're leaving as soon as Kisame returns."

Before she could ask anything else, Itachi walked out of the room, granting her privacy as he closed the door behind him. Knowing that Kisame could return very soon, and that she definitely didn't want the both of them to see her in her panties, Sakura removed the lid of the box. The first thing she saw was the red cloud embroidered on black material. An Akatsuki cloak.

Underneath the cloak was a mesh shirt, similar to the one she saw Itachi wearing, and some dark pants. On the very bottom lay two identical white socks.

Sakura changed quickly, the shirt fitting her perfectly, though she had to roll the pants up once. She put her boots back on, sighing as she put the socks on over them. When it came to the cloak, she looked hesitant. Wearing Akatsuki's colors, even if it was for a short while, seemed to her like betrayal of her village.

She picked up the cloak, eyeing it warily before putting it on. Though Itachi was more her size, there was definitely at least thirty centimeters difference in height. The cloak dragged on the floor as she walked back and forth with it on.

Grimacing, Sakura hoped that Itachi wouldn't mind as she grabbed the ends of her cloak and tore a strip off. She continued to do so until the cloak reached until her ankles. Just as she was closing the buttons, a familiar scent reached her nostrils.

Fire. And something fresh, like rain.

The cloak smelled like Sasuke did.

Sakura unconsciously brought the cuff to her nose, inhaling that sweet, tangy scent that belonged to Sasuke, a myriad of emotions whirling through her. She didn't even notice that Itachi had returned.

"I trust you like the clothes, Sakura-san?" his deep voice woke her from her reverie and she looked up, blushing madly.

He was standing in the doorway, leaning against the threshold with his legs and arms crossed. His Akatsuki cloak was slightly opened and she could see a small, delicate looking necklace hanging around his neck. Three silver flowers.

"Y-Yes Itachi-san," Sakura stammered. "I had to take some off the cloak though, it was too long for me to wear."

'_Embarrassing moment, hello! Why on earth did I sniff his clothes anyway!'_

His crimson eyes strayed towards her cloak and then down towards the frayed ends of the cloak. Itachi didn't seem to mind it as he pushed himself up. Within a second, Itachi stood less than a meter away from her.

She took a few tentative steps backward, until she met the table and there was nowhere else to go. Itachi had followed her and leaned in close, his eyes calculating as they looked back and forth between hers.

"The ANBU were Leaf," Itachi said, his voice completely devoid from any emotion, yet the coolness of his tone struck her as a bad omen. He had never once used that tone on her, and this time, Sakura was sure that she would die. Surely he would think of her as a threat now that he knew that ANBU would really come for her.

"They're coming for you," he said dispassionately. "Because you ran away from Konoha. And all of this, for Sasuke?"

She nodded once, briefly, afraid to make any more gestures. Sakura closed her eyes, trembling ever so lightly as he leaned away from her, his hand trailing up until he cupped her chin between two fingers. For the first time since leaving Konoha, did she regret her decision.

What would happen now? Itachi would kill her. She would have died for nothing. She hadn't even gotten to Sound village. The pathetic end to the life of a mediocre ninja. Bitter bile surged up through her throat. Even swallowing it away seemed to be the most difficult thing she had ever done.

"I see," Itachi said finally. She opened her eyes, wide with fear, but Itachi's face betrayed nothing as he let go of her chin and walked away from her. "Leaving Konoha for a missing nin out for revenge. Very noble."

Sakura massaged her chin and glanced at the bruises that were blossoming on her pale skin of her wrist. Still shocked, she molded some chakra to her fingers, healing the bruises.

Concentrated as she was, she missed the intrigued look that graced Itachi's face. Frustration overtook her as soon as she healed the bruise. Sakura had never been one to live in fear. Sure, it was normal in a shinobi's life, no matter how hard school tried to teach you to live without emotions. But to have someone hurt her and not being able to do anything in return was unbearable.

Adrenaline flowing through her veins, she turned her most murderous stare onto Itachi, who looked up from her wrist. A flicker of emotion passed his face as she marched up to him. "Please don't do that again, Itachi-san," she said, and for the first time, there was no fear or anguish in her voice, just genuine anger.

--

"_My future is not where my dream is_."

Sasuke's deep voice resounded through the tiny, dark room. It was as if he were standing there, right next to the bed as he said those damning words.

Naruto gritted his teeth, trying to fight back the tears as they threatened to spill over his cheeks.

Over and over again, Naruto sees Sasuke in front of him, standing on that small plateau in the middle of the Valley of the End. Those eyes that had turned yellow and those marks all over his face and arms. And then, he transformed into a monster. Just like Naruto did.

And now…

"_This time… we'll get him back together!_"

"_Liar_," he whispered hoarsely. "Liar, liar, liar. Sakura-chan, you're a liar."

And just like that, Naruto was bawling like a little child. He pressed his pillow against his face, stifling the sobs while his entire body shook with still unshed tears. But there was also anger, and a lot of rage. Hatred for Orochimaru and for Kabuto and Itachi and all the others that took Sasuke away.

How Naruto wished he hated Sasuke like he had always proclaimed to. That Sasuke meant nothing to him, just another genin ninja who turned out to betray his village to join their greatest enemy. How he wished that Sasuke was never paired up together with him and Sakura.

How Naruto wished he was enough. Both for Sasuke and for Sakura. That it wasn't all meaningless. That there was more to life than constantly trying to save those you've forged a bond with so powerful that it's impossible to let go of them anymore.

Sasuke was right all along. It hurts because of the bonds.

The crying continued until the early hours of the morning. When he finally crawled out of his bed, his eyes were red and puffy and he looked a complete mess. After a quick shower and some breakfast, he put his Jounin uniform on and made his way towards the administration building, hoping to learn more about their situation.

And also hoping that they would be sent out today to get both Sasuke and Sakura back.

Resolve burned in his cerulean eyes as he stepped inside the building.

--

While she had been healing her wrist, Itachi had buttoned up his cloak again. The only thing she could see right now were those penetrating crimson eyes. It remained deathly quiet for a while. Her adrenaline rush was subsiding, leaving her vulnerable again to Itachi's intimidating presence. She tried to decipher whether he was angered or amused, but his usual blank eyes gave no indication of his current mood.

Then, Sakura heard a chuckle.

Her eyes grew the size of saucers as she watched Itachi, before realizing that it was not his voice. She whirled around to see Kisame standing in the doorway, a bloody Samehada in his hands. Kisame grinned again and as he stepped into the light, she could clearly see the wet stains of blood on his Akatsuki cloak.

"I disposed of all of them," Kisame said to Itachi. "Konoha, as we thought."

He was rewarded with a curt nod. Itachi didn't even look him in the eye, but kept his eyes on Sakura at all times. Kisame grinned at the younger shinobi's back and stared at Sakura as well.

"But kunoichi, you should be happy. You're the first one to ever use that tone on Itachi-san, and he hasn't killed you yet," Kisame started laughing as he walked out of the room, unaware that the tension had thickened in the last seconds of his stay.

As he closed the door, Itachi spoke: "Sit down."

She stared at Itachi for a moment longer, her usual, stubborn self bubbling up inside of her, urging her to keep her self-control and not be afraid of this man. But as Itachi glared at her, her resolve quickly faded away and she reluctantly took a seat.

Itachi took a seat across from her. "You left Konoha for Sasuke."

"Correct," she said defiantly.

"You're aware he will not come back with you."

"Yes," she said. It was the truth. There was no way that Sasuke would come back to Konoha now. Not while Itachi was still breathing.

A pause. Whether Itachi was puzzling together the tiny pieces of the huge puzzle that centered around the former team 7, or whether he thought she was a lunatic, Sakura didn't know.

It was amazing how the two of them looked alike during brief moments like these. He was just like Sasuke—that intelligent brain of his always working full-time, analyzing, storing every little piece of information that he finds.

Yet there was a world of difference in their manners as well. Sasuke would fold his hands together while brooding and thinking, Itachi just seemed lost in his own world for a split second, though his eyes were always aware of every single movement around him. Always calculating his movements and incalculably dangerous.

"You are aware that he'll never do this for you?" Itachi said after a moment of consideration.

"Yes," Sakura answered. Truthfully speaking though, she wasn't sure if Sasuke wouldn't do the same for her. Perhaps it was just her imagination speaking, but during team 7, Sasuke had been part of the team. One third of it, as strong and fierce as Naruto had been, protecting the both of them. Even when Itachi had so briefly appeared, Sasuke had run towards Naruto.

Naruto thought it was simply for revenge.

She wasn't so sure about that.

Would he come for her?

Sasuke's face flashed before her, the arrogant half-grin he used to wear playing around his lips. Another Sasuke, broken and miserable in the hospital bed, dazed as he woke up. Sasuke and the curse mark spreading over his face. Sasuke activating the Chidori against Naruto on the hospital roof… Sasuke on the road that led out of Konoha, smiling almost gently as he turned around.

"_Thank you_."

Suddenly, she was angry.

"It's been six years since he left," Sakura said finally. "Searching power from Orochimaru nonetheless, all for his revenge against you. You broke us. All three of us. Team seven is non-existent thanks to you."

Itachi watched her as she inhaled for the second part of her speech.

"This is your fault. Six years of living in uncertainty, not knowing what might happen next. You destroy lives. You started with that on the night of the massacre. Sasuke's grief became a prison for him. It ensnared us as well and we went down, entwined with him," Sakura said, gritting her teeth together as she finally got her act together.

"Sasuke could have ignored his instincts for revenge," Itachi said simply.

Sakura shook her head. "No. He could never. Even if we tried to divert his attention, and we did, the scars from the past reminded him that everything that had happened that night was real."

Itachi said nothing. His exquisite eyes watched her every moment, taking in the set of her mouth and the way her chakra was moving, almost pulsing with anger, towards her hands and legs.

"I left Konoha for him. And do you know why, Uchiha Itachi? Because the most important people are worth _everything_."

"Nice speech, kunoichi," Kisame said from the doorway, wearing another cloak. She clenched her jaw as she went over his appearance, wishing he had been hurt in some way so that she wouldn't be interrupted in the middle of saying everything she had ever wanted to say to Itachi. Kisame noticed the rage directed at him and grinned. "Give it up kunoichi. You can't do anything."

"_Just wait_," she thought, glancing at Itachi as he stood up. "_I'm not going to be here forever_."

Kisame stepped towards Itachi and Sakura. "Ready."

Itachi gave his trademark nod once as he straightened himself and stood up, straightening his Akatsuki cloak. He walked into one of the rooms, presumably his own, and came back with a straw hat. A small bell rang as he put it on, obscuring most of his features. Kisame did the same and handed her a straw hat as well, though this one seemed quite dilapidated.

"Emergencies only," Kisame smirked as he glanced over the frayed edges of the hat. He was smirking still, his obvious amusement annoying her greatly. Again she went over her thoughts and over both of the shinobi standing in front of her.

Escaping was never impossible.

Itachi stepped out of the room, his bell ringing with every step he made, the Akatsuki billowing softly with every step. Kisame lingered, making it clear that she should follow. One last glare was exchanged as she followed Itachi out of the room, Kisame following her closely.

"So where are we going to?" Sakura asked casually, trying to find more information about their precise whereabouts.

Itachi ignored her, but Kisame was gracious enough to answer: "The Hidden Village of Rock."

--

_**A/n: **__I hope I satisfied everybody's needs with this chapter! It was extra long! _

_I'll see you soon!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	5. Chapter 5

**Metamorphosis – an Itachi & Sakura story.**

**By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto

_**A/N: **__Chapter rewritten August 21, 2008._

**Chapter Five – Undeniable**

They had been on the road for a week, crossing through the smaller countries. The country of Rain has been exactly as the name predicted it to be. Kisame, who loved water but hated the rain, had complained during the three days it took for them to cross the land. He would always be traveling behind Sakura, making sure she couldn't escape.

Presently, they were making their way towards the border of the Grass country. Itachi was still leading the way, relentlessly. Throughout the past couple of days, Sakura hadn't even seen him sleep. Whenever she fell asleep, he was still awake and whenever she woke, he was already awake, standing guard over their little camp.

"How much longer from now on?" Sakura asked, jumping on top of a branch as she followed Itachi through the forest. Though her movements could be clumsy from time to time, Itachi moved gracefully. He barely made a sound every time he landed on a branch and jumped on.

He remained quiet for a while. "One day, perhaps sooner if we can make it without resting."

As they got closer and closer to the border, the tall grass that grew on most parts of the country diminished until it went over into solid rocks. Barely any vegetation grew on the grounds and the few trees she could see were withered. Branches without leaves, they seemed almost sad, colorless against the vast, blue sky.

After yet another hour, Itachi suddenly came to a stop. Sakura halted promptly behind him, confused why he suddenly stopped. Itachi said nothing, just looked around the vicinity, before turning his eyes to a particular point in the distance. Without any warning, he continued his sprint.

"Good thing Itachi-san knows directions," Kisame said as they both followed Itachi. "I wouldn't be able to find anything in this country."

She took in this tiny bit of information and glanced around as well. Behind them, there was still some sign of life, the forest they had crossed and the remains of the grass. Before her, it was basically just a barren stretch of land.

Rocks. Everywhere. Some mountains in the distance, but mostly heaps of rocks, a rare cactus here and there and the usual desert creatures. She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming as they passed by a huge, poisonous snake. Kisame seemed to have noted her distress as he chuckled behind her while they moved on.

Finally, after a couple of hours, the first sign of life came in the form of a huge village. It looked like it was carved out of stone. A small creek flowed nearby, water stations near the source. In the middle of the city was a huge, cilinder shaped building that she recognized as an administration building—it was filled with flags and carvings bearing the same symbol she had seen on the forehead protects of the Rock shinobi during the Chuunin exam.

"Our inn is there," Itachi pointed to a large building near the west exit of the city. She nodded, following him as he ran down the mountain they were standing up, right until they reached the gate.

Sakura was smirking, knowing that they would never let two Akatsuki members—well, three to their eyes, into an Hidden Village.

Itachi kept walking, the bell that rung from his hat rang, announcing his presence. The two guards standing there watched him carefully, then turned their gazes to both Sakura and Kisame as they came closer.

Just as Itachi was about to pass them, they held up their hands. "Wait. If you want to enter Iwagakure, show us your pass."

Itachi halted. Then, all of the sudden, he made a movement. The guards stood completely still as he passed them by, and for a moment, she thought it was a genjutsu. That is, until they both fell to the ground simultaneously, senbon sticking out from their throats. He had hit a major vein and used the senbon to make them bleed internally first.

Filled with both horror and admiration did Sakura follow Itachi, shock registering on her face, as well as anger in the face of pure cruelty. She wanted to scream out, to get more ninja to her side so that they could help her fight off this cruel man, but realization dawned on her that he could kill her as fast as he had killed those two guards.

Kisame behind her laughed cruelly. "This village is too easy to get into. No war for years has made them defenseless."

Sakura tried to ignore Kisame's laugh and the injustice of it all, knowing that one day, the two of them would get what they deserved. She swallowed away the bitter bile that had filled her mouth and followed Itachi into Iwagakure.

It was a quiet village, the streets were empty and virtually no shop was opened. It was the complete opposite of Konoha, where there was this atmosphere that indicated peace and serenity. Suddenly, she was hit by a wave of regret as she imagined the myriad of smells that would greet her after a long day of work; the smells of the nearby barbecue restaurants, of the flower shops nearby and the sweet smell of her mother's perfume.

Sakura nearly cried as she looked up, hoping to see the Hokage's administration building, the Leaf logo painted on a flag fluttering as a breeze went by. But instead, she found the bleak looking building that belonged to the Tsuchikage hovering over the city.

They walked through the quiet streets for what seemed like hours before reaching the western border and the inn that Itachi was intent on going to. It was old, the red paint of the building was washed out. But right now, it seemed like a roof and a bed, and that was all she really needed after the entire trip.

After Itachi had checked them in, they walked towards their rooms in a steady pace and Sakura removed the straw hat, plucking some hairs out of the straw. "Itachi-san?" she asked as Kisame entered his room.

He didn't answer, but she knew she had his attention. "They will find the guards."

"They won't," Itachi sounded confident in this. She raised her eyebrows, but then decided to drop the subject, not wanting to know more about Akatsuki's cruel methods. She stepped into her room, fully aware that it was between Itachi's and Kisame's. As she closed the door, Sakura immediately threw off her cloak, nauseated.

She sat down on the futon on the floor, touching the white sheets with a fingertip as she went over the past couple of days, trying to remember as much helpful things as she possibly could.

Sakura was in the Hidden Village of Rock right now. According to Kabuto's cards, to the east, there would be Waterfall and another small country, though the name had slipped her mind, and then there was Sound. She was closer than ever right now, though in a more unpredictable situation than she had been in Konoha.

Kisame doesn't know how to orientate in the Earth country, but that didn't bring her to an advantage. This was her first time here, even though she knew Sound was to the east, orientating in a country that all looked alike was something that was hard and time-consuming, and time was something she did not have. Especially not if, and when, the two of them would realize that she's missing.

She gritted her teeth. More importantly. Itachi did know where everything was and she was sure that the both of them could be excellent trackers as well.

This entire situation was frustrating to the point where she was sure she develop an aneurysm in the next couple of days. She cussed under her breath and walked towards the shower, intent on washing away the grime and mud that had accumulated on her body over the last couple of days.

--

During the evening, there had been a small chance of escape. Kisame was snoring in the room next to her, the walls were so thin that she could hear every movement. Itachi, in the other room, was taking a shower.

Out of instinct, she opened up the window as quietly as she could. She made her way out, listening to both rooms to see if she was still undetected and let herself out, landing on the ground with a small thud.

Congratulating herself on this accomplishment, Sakura turned around to sprint towards the exit, only to notice that Itachi was standing several meters away from her, completely dressed even, as he watched her, apparently amused.

After two more of these futile escapes, Itachi checked out of his room and bunked together with Sakura. Needless to say, Sakura was angry to the point that whatever she would say was paired up with the worst cussing she could possibly think of, leading to Kisame laughing his ass off and Itachi even flashing an amused grin.

Her anger disappeared somewhat as she started to realize that Itachi showered and dressed in Kisame's room. They would be on high alert while they left her in her own room, ready to stop her from escaping again, but Itachi came to sleep whenever she had fallen asleep. In the mornings, his futon was undone and he was nowhere to be found.

A week passed and gradually Kisame and Itachi started leaving the inn from time to time. Though it seemed like the perfect opportunity to escape, Sakura was sure that they would somehow sense it if she tried to escape. Also, a part of her begged for self-preservation, still wanting to read Sound and see Sasuke.

Sakura sighed and glanced at the small clock that stood on the tatami floor between her and Itachi's futon. 8 p.m. Kisame would usually come by around six to bring her some food, but he was unusually late today. And unless her senses were betraying her, Itachi hadn't returned either.

Thinking it might be an oppertune time to try to escape again, Sakura stood up from the floor, but at that precise time, Kisame's voice sounded through the hallway.

"_About time! I'm starving!_"

She walked towards the door, intent on giving Kisame hell for being late, when she noticed a presence entering her room. Moving on instincts alone, Sakura grabbed a kunai and hurled it towards the presence.

Itachi caught the kunai without any effort, his Sharingan bright in the dim light of twilight. He pocketed the kunai and walked towards her. Before she could say anything, he clasped his hand over her mouth.

"Not a word," he whispered softly, mouth close to her ears. He leaned back, listened to the sounds in the other room and visibly relaxed. It was then that Sakura noticed that Kisame was still talking. Eyes widening, she looked at Itachi.

"There's another Akatsuki member here. It would not benefit either of us if he knows you're here." Itachi looked at her, removing his hand from her mouth to cup her chin. He forced her to look at him. "Be quiet until either Kisame or I come for you."

"Why?" she whispered. "I could be another customer."

Itachi gazed at her. "We always hire three rooms so that none of our discussions can be overheard by others. If Deidara hears someone in the adjoining room…"

With that, he disappeared from the room.

Sakura exhaled softly and walked back to her bed as stealthy as she could. Though the last thing she wanted to do was obey Itachi, the very last thing she wanted was to be killed by another, unknown Akatsuki member.

In the room next to her, a deep voice sounded for a moment, talking hastily. Kisame snorted and laughed hard. She raised her eyebrows, more questions forming as time went by. As she glanced around the darkening room, she turned on one of the lamps, bathing the room in a soft yellow glow.

It was then that she noticed the basket of food that Itachi had undoubtedly brought along with him when he entered the room.

Mouth watering, Sakura crawled over to the basket, intent on getting some bread and fruits. But she was clumsy and knocked over the basket, sending several oranges and apples rolling over the hard tatami floors. She flinched at the sound and immediately listened to the sounds in Kisame's room.

It was deathly quiet.

Then, a few muffled sounds and the unmistakeable 'poof' of someone disappearing. She let out a sigh of relief, thinking that either Kisame or Itachi had prepared for this scenario. But as Sakura leaned forward to grab one of the oranges, an Akatsuki member appeared before her.

Shocked, she leaned back, automatically reaching for her kunai. But the man showed no intention of killing her.

He was very feminine, with long, blond hair pulled up in a ponytail. Half of it obscured his face and the forehead protector, though she could easily see the symbol for Rock on it. The one eye that she could see was sky-blue and shaped in an unusual form, long lashes framing it. He was smirking as he handed out one of the oranges she had dropped.

"My, what a racket… yeah," Deidara said, still grinning as he deposited the orange in her hand. It felt wet. She briefly glanced down to see that some kind of fluid was coating a small part of the skin.

Deidara grinned, forcing her to look up again as he turned the palms of his hands towards her, revealing two identical mouths. She watched in complete shock as a tongue came out of the left one, licking the inside of his hand. Deidara laughed softly, obviously amused at her completely shocked state.

The right one suddenly spit out something and she recoiled in shock, before noticing that it was a small, clay bird. "Poor girl… you must be terrified… yeah," he said then, wanting to hand over the strange clay puppet to her.

"Back off Deidara," Kisame's voice suddenly appeared behind her. "She's our ticket to the kyuubi. Itachi-san would be mad if anything were to happen to her."

As if on cue, Itachi stepped inside the room, wearing his usual blank expression as he surveyed the sight in front of him. "Indeed I would," he said, keeping his intense gaze on Sakura for a while, then turned it to Deidara. "Put it away."

When Deidara didn't obey him immediately, Itachi grabbed his wrist in a lightning-quick movement, his long fingers wrapping around Deidara's wrist as they had around hers. She knew from personal experience that it was definitely not a nice feeling.

"We do not meddle in your affairs, Deidara, so I expect the same courtesy for us."

Deidara smirked at Itachi. "Of course," he said, freeing his wrist from Itachi's iron grip. "I must apologize, I thought she was an intruder… yeah."

Deidara turned back to Sakura, a smirk still playing on his lips. "I also owe you my apologies, so it seems. I thought you were a spy… yeah," he chuckled. "Deidara."

"Haruno Sakura," she said in return, the initial shock fading.

"So…" he started, looking back at the two Akatsuki members. "Why hide the bait?"

This time it was Kisame who moved over to stand in front of Deidara. The blond man stood up, and though he was taller than Itachi, he was still inferior to Kisame's absurd length. He showed absolutely no fear as Kisame leered dangerously. "None of your business."

"Alright Salmon-chan," Deidara said, smiling as he held his hands up. "No need to get all worked up over a small question. I just thought it was rude to keep a girl locked up in her room… yeah."

Kisame growled in response.

"About the plan… what do you think?" Deidara questioned to Kisame and Itachi.

"Are you referring to what you discussed with us earlier?" Itachi asked.

Deidara nodded.

"Then our answer is no," Itachi said coolly. "I would appreciate it if you left now, Deidara. As you can imagine, Kisame and I have some urgent matters to attend to." Itachi nodded curtly, dismissive this time.

"Your wish is my command… yeah," Deidara said sarcastically, before turning to Sakura. "Well kunoichi, I might see you around again some day... yeah."

"Not likely," Kisame growled under his breath, causing Deidara to laugh softly. He held his hand up in a small wave and then disappeared from the room. Kisame grunted, muttered something about 'Salmon-chan' under his breath as he stalked out of the room.

An uncomfortable silence washed over the room as Itachi watched her pick up the last of the fruit that had been scattered over the floor. By the time she looked up, he had removed his Akatsuki cloak and leaned against the windowframe, signaling for her to sit down. She complied, fretting with her clothes as she waited for him to speak.

"Sakura-san," he started, voice ominously low. "Have you told me the truth?"

"… What?" she said, dumbstruck. Definitely not the question she had been expecting.

"You have been to the academy, and you were trained by Kakashi-san and Tsunade-san, correct?"

"Yes?" she answered, still not seeing where this would lead to.

Itachi seemed genuinely annoyed. "Are you really a kunoichi?" he said calmly, a tone of mockery in his voice. Her head snapped up as she met his cool gaze, anger meeting indifference.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she hissed between her teeth, offended.

"If a shinobi as myself asks a kunoichi like you to be quiet, she should be as quiet as a mouse and not move with the delicacy of an elephant," Itachi said. Inwardly, he was quite amused with her behavior and even more so as she turned ten shades of red, obviously trying to reign in her anger.

He wasn't angry though, he would have preferred to wait just a little longer before Deidara found out, because when Deidara knew, Sasori would know. And that would make up for a large part of Akatsuki.

"Itachi-_san_. Were you just suggesting that I have the delicacy of an elephant?" she asked furiously, yet polite. If Itachi were any other man, she would have thrown a shuriken or kunai towards him, and pound him up in her fury. But Itachi _was _a renegade killer and the particular scene of a week ago still hadn't left her mind. The swiftness of his kill was both astonishing and frightening.

He didn't seem in the mood to kill her though.

Itachi stood up swiftly, almost startling Sakura, and leaned over towards her. For the second time that day, his lips neared hers and his hot breath caressed her cool skin. She didn't know how long she sat there, with Itachi hovering over her, feeling his breath in her neck and the warmth of his body radiating towards hers, when he finally said;

"I believe I was."

Suddenly, the warmth of his body disappeared as he stood up again, putting his robes on and left the room. Sakura could do nothing else except watching him go. It was only after the door closed that she realized what he had said.

"_That jerk__!"_

_**A/N: **__Thank you for reading! :)_

_See you next time!_

_-- Mitsuki Shiroi_


	6. Chapter 6

**Metamorphosis – An Itachi & Sakura story.  
By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/n: **After the short chapter last time, I felt that I had to make it up to all of you some how, so here's an extra long chapter to booth! Have fun reading!_

**_Chapter warning: Slight mature content (kissing and touching) in this chapter._**

**Chapter Six – An Eye for an Eye.**

She wasn't aware when she had fallen asleep. Sakura thought that she wouldn't even be able to fall asleep after Itachi's stunt. Every time she dozed off, she could feel the warmth of his body pressed against hers. She often wondered if Sasuke's body would feel just as warm as his brother's. Yet when she woke up from her slumber, there was a shadow hovering over her.

As she opened her eyes, squinting a little, she could see the outlines of Kisame hovering over her like Itachi had done the night before. Immediately, she sat up straight, her eyes fixed on Kisame's shadow and a kunai in her hand.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura growled. She hated being waked up in the morning, and wished for everyone to just go away.

"I was bringing in food, rude kunoichi, and wanted to get out as soon as possible, but you caught me in the act," Kisame chuckled before walking towards the door. "And I would re-think you strategies for a moment there—Shinobi should be stealthy, sneaky, and they should get their enemy by surprise." As Kisame resumed his chuckling he stalked out of the room. Sakura listened to his footsteps retreating before she looked at her breakfast.

Fruit, some bread and an orange juice.

_They really like this diet, don't they?_

She sighed at the prospect of having the same breakfast for two weeks now, but she was used to it and didn't complain too much. That was, except on her moody days. They had been residing in the Hidden Village of Stone for a week now, and it was getting on her nerves. Sakura snorted as she picked up the bread and started eating, unaware that Itachi just entered the room.

"Do you like the food, Sakura-san?" he asked as she was about to take a bite from the loaf of bread. Her eyes met his, and for the first time in two weeks, she didn't blush at that contact. Itachi walked around the bed so he could face her, picking up a chair on his way. He sat down right in front of her and observed her while she looked at him expectedly.

"What are you doing here Itachi-san?" she asked suspiciously. After his weird behavior of the previous night, Itachi had become even more unpredictable, and it irritated her to no end. Sakura could feel her fear lessening over the days, and she felt more comfortable around the both of them— mainly because Kisame was more predictable and somebody she could handle.

Itachi was a whole other story; the man was as unpredictable as the weather, and it could quickly drive her to the edge of insanity. Itachi was quiet, yet dangerous. He wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone, yet still he didn't do anything to her. Not when she told him she was chasing after Sasuke, not when she told him not to hurt her wrist and he didn't even hurt her when she put up an attitude. She did feel a little comfortable around Itachi though, because she knew he wasn't going to kill her anytime soon- and besides, having one of the strongest ninja's on your side could help a lot.

"I apologize for entering without knocking, but you were eating, so I didn't wish to interrupt you," his reply came in his usual cold, yet smooth and deep voice.

"I see," Sakura replied with a small smile. "Do you want to talk to me about something?"

"Yes there is actually." He fell silent after this, and Sakura took a sip of her orange juice. She was used to Itachi's way of speaking by now, and found that the pauses during his sentences didn't agitate her as much as they used to.

"As a medic nin, have you ever worked on eyesight problems?" he asked quietly.

Sakura put down her glass of orange juice and observed Itachi for a while. She crawled towards the edge of the bed and sat down quietly, never taking her eyes off Itachi.

"Do you have eyesight problems Itachi-san?" she asked in a quiet, hushed voice. She briefly wondered who else knew about his problem. Probably not many people at all, it would be a weakness for Itachi, and he wouldn't want people to know about it.

He nodded slowly. "Since I mastered the Mangekyou Sharingan, my eyesight lessened. Even now, I can only see you in a slight blurred state, not as sharp as I used to see things."

Sakura pushed herself off the bed and slowly walked towards Itachi, whose face remained impassive as he watched the pink-haired kunoichi nearing him. She squatted down in front of him, as she gently lifted her arm.

"Can I see?" she asked.

He nodded again and closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of Sakura's chakra enter his right eye. The chakra felt soft yet warm and when Itachi opened his eyes, he found out that the blurriness had diminished a little, and he could now see Sakura more clearly.

"It's better now," he said, stating the obvious.

"I know. I just transferred some of my chakra towards your eyes…" she said hesitantly, as if she were thinking about something. "I could probably heal them completely, at least, for a while."

Itachi stared at her. Nobody would have ever said this to him, even if they had medical abilities. A dangerous killer such as himself should rot away until he couldn't use his eyes anymore. But Sakura had healed him, no questions asked. There had to be something that she desired.

"But?" he asked while he observed her.

"I want something in return," she said softly, not meeting his eyes.

"You wish to be free to go wherever you want to go?" Itachi said in his usual dangerously low voice.

As Sakura avoided his gaze and nodded, Itachi sighed. She was just like his younger brother after all. Whenever Sasuke did something for his big brother, even if it was something trivial like buying a shuriken for him, Sasuke always wanted something in return. He usually asked for shuriken training. He inwardly smiled at the thought of his younger brother, whenever Itachi tapped him on his head, and apologized.

Even when he had killed the entire Uchiha clan, his brother was alive. Why? He hadn't figured that out, even during the years that he had roamed the world together with Kisame. Later on, he threw it on 'brotherly instincts.' Itachi could have a heart of stone, his brother had always been one of the only ones that could stand being near him, and that's probably why he let him live. It would be a fitting ending if he would be killed by his brother.

"You are still fixed on going to Sound, aren't you, Sakura-san?" Itachi said.

"Yes." He hated the way her voice sounded at that moment. Small and weak, not like the strong-willed woman she actually was.

"You do know that this is impossible, don't you?" he asked. "You are a hostage of Akatsuki, and I cannot let you walk away this easily when you have this much information about us."

Sakura forced herself to look the sharingan user in the eye. "And you honestly think that I care about your organization? Who am I going to tell? I'm a missing nin from Konoha Itachi, a missing nin! I don't have responsibilities to report to a Hokage anymore. And I'm sure that Orochimaru knows enough about Akatsuki, even more than I could tell him," she spat.

Before she even realized that Itachi disappeared, she was rudely thrown on the bed and Itachi hovered over her. The anger had not yet left her features, yet fear started to mingle with her intense hate of the man.

"Don't talk to me like that," Itachi's voice came, the threat evident in the tone of his voice. "As long as you are here, I make the rules, and it would be wise to follow up on them. You will not, under any circumstances, leave this place."

His eyes bore into hers and had the desired effect. Sakura had shut her mouth, afraid to say anything more. She would have to wait until she could escape, whenever that might happen- if ever at all. It was clear that Itachi would not let her go.

"Do I make myself clear?" Itachi resumed, now without the dangerous tone in his voice. He looked satisfied as she quickly nodded and lifted himself off of her. He sat down on his chair, watching Sakura like a hawk as she sat up straight on the bed and fixed her gaze on him.

"I can heal you in two days," she said, her voice devoid of all emotions.

"Fine, I'll come here after dinner," he replied before standing up. He threw his robes around him, and walked out of the room without even a glance towards her. As she heard a click, signaling that the door closed, she threw herself on her back, and stared at the ceiling.

_Why did I offer to help him…?_

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She could hear somebody in the room. The man or woman walking around in her room was obviously a ninja, she could tell by the calculated movements that he, or she made. Finally, as the person neared the bed, she grabbed her kunai from under her pillow and stormed towards the intruder.

In the dim light of the city lights, she could faintly recognize the profile of a man. When she was about three feet away from the man, he turned around, and she could recognize the radiating red clouds on the Akatsuki robe, and the red sharingan eyes.

Shock apparent on her features, she stopped her attack, fuming at Itachi for scaring her like that.

"What are you doing in MY room in the middle of the night Itachi-_san_?" she spat out. She could see the evident amusement flickering in his eyes, even though the rest of his features were shadowed and unnoticeable.

"Sakura-san, I apologize for waking you," he whispered smoothly. "But this is my room as well, remember?"

She could hear him chuckle softly, and was stunned. His deep, smooth voice sounded so beautiful.

_He should definitely do that more often!_

Her thoughts were put on hold though, as Itachi stretched out his arm, and caressed her cheek. Surprised, she looked at Itachi, who leaned in closer towards her. His hot breath washed over her and it didn't take long before she could feel his soft, yet firm and masculine lips gently touching her own.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly at the contact. It was unwanted, yet she didn't have the desire or the willpower to break free from his hold as his arms started to encircle her waist, and he drew her closer towards him.

As Itachi gently nudged her lips with his own, silently asking her to deepen the contact, she complied and gasped softly as his tongue started to explore her mouth. His taste was unique, something spicy, and the faint taste of sake. She moaned as his hands started to roam around her body, leaving a tingling feeling behind wherever he touched.

Sakura wanted to touch him as well, to feel his muscles flex under her touch, and she started to unbutton his Akatsuki robes. As soon as his robes fell off, and her crafty hands found their way under his shirt, his hand shot up and cupped her breast. She shivered in delight as Itachi slowly forced them on the bed, never breaking the passionate kiss.

"Sakura…"

She moaned in delight as he started to grind against her in a steady rhythm. She buried her hands in his hair and gasped as a wave of coolness suddenly hit her skin.

"Sakura-san, is something the matter?" Itachi's voice came.

Sakura opened up her eyes, desperately wanting Itachi to continue doing those things to her and feel the heat radiating from his body. As her eyes became accustomed to her surroundings, she found out that she had been asleep. Her legs were twisted in the covers of her bed, and Itachi stood next to her.

Correction, Itachi stood next to her, wearing his usual dark pants. Wearing _only_ his pants.

As Sakura's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets, realization dawned on her that she was staring at him, and her head quickly snapped up to his face. The red sharingan eyes were gone, and she found herself staring into the same eyes Sasuke had. They were dark, almost black, and she couldn't help but stare at them.

"Y-Your sharingan is gone," she whispered.

"I don't need it when I sleep," he replied dryly. "Now, would you like to tell me why you were moaning my name?"

"I-I WAS DOING WHAT?" Sakura yelled out, surprise and shock evident in her voice.

"Please keep your voice down Sakura-san," Itachi answered. "You were moaning my name a couple of times in your sleep."

As Sakura lifted up her blanket to cover the fierce blush on her cheek, she sought a reason to yell at him, as she desperately had to. Her dream still hadn't left her, and him standing there, clad in only his pants wasn't helping a lot.

"And why are you in my room?" She snapped, feeling a strong sensation of déjà vu.

"I've been sleeping here ever since you tried to escape, have you forgotten already?" Itachi replied quietly. The tone of his voice was smooth, deep and still as dangerous as before, not filled with lust and desire, like the Itachi from her dream. Sakura kept staring at him, finding it impossible to concentrate on what Itachi said while he stood there in his pants.

"Is something wrong?" he answered, the cold amusement evident in his voice.

"No," she answered as casual as she could muster. "Nothing's wrong, I'm sorry for waking you." With that, she turned around, ending the conversation. She felt his eyes on her back for a few moments longer, before he walked back to his own bed. As she heard the footsteps retreating, only one thought flew through her mind;

_Why the hell was I dreaming about HIM!_

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The next time she woke up, it was early morning. As she turned around to face the bed next to hers, it was empty. Itachi had already left to do whatever he did during the day. A smell entered her nostrils, and as she looked around to see where the delicious smell came from, her eyes fell on the tray with her breakfast. It was more extensive than it had been in weeks, now with a bowl of ramen, which was turning a little cold, and coffee.

_Ramen and coffee… How long has it been since I had lunch with Naruto in Ichiraku? We always used to order the Miso Ramen and some coffee…_

Her heart broke at the thought of her best friend, but she knew she shouldn't think about him too much. They were an existence apart from each other, and would most likely never meet again. As she started on the ramen, wanting to eat it before it turned cold, she could hear a knock on her door, and it opened. Kisame stuck his head into Sakura's room, raising his hand in greeting.

"Itachi-san said that he would be back sooner tonight, so you could work on his eyesight," Kisame said before turning around to walk out of the room.

"Wait, Kisame!" she called out to him. He turned around; slightly surprised that she had called him.

"Do we have extra money or something? Why did you change my breakfast?" she asked, slightly curious as to what had brought this change. She just stared at him as he began to chuckle.

"Itachi bought you ramen kunoichi; he said you had a rough night." Kisame grinned when he saw her flushed expression, and walked out of the room, still grinning.

Sakura fumed. How dare he; telling Kisame about all of this too. For a moment, she contemplated throwing her ramen away as a sign that she declined Itachi's special breakfast, but on second thought, she was hungry, and the ramen was really good. She sighed before she continued eating.

_Maybe he isn't so bad after all…_

--------------------------------

The day had been dull. After a few hours, she tried to find Kisame in the hotel, but once she found out he was training in the room next to her, she didn't try to disturb him. She didn't try to escape either. Itachi could be the brains of Akatsuki, Kisame definitely wasn't stupid himself, and she really didn't want an encounter with Samehada. Especially after Kisame had told her – with a grin on his face – that his sword could absorb chakra.

Itachi had walked in around five o'clock, which was indeed earlier than the previous days, and invited her to dine with Kisame and himself. His face remained impassive when he invited her, and after he said all that he needed to say, he walked out of the room.

After almost three weeks of being with the both of them, she could not ignore the fact that she was feeling more and more like home. Kisame could easily go for Naruto, with the stupid jokes he cracked, and the fact that he was mostly the cheery factor of the group, something she wouldn't have expected when she saw him for the first time. Itachi could easily pass for his brother; both were silent, and didn't really jump at the opportunities of talking.

Of course, the fact that both fighters were a hundred times more lethal than either Sasuke or Naruto was didn't escape her, yet she felt like she could grasp something that she had lost a long time ago. However, this was the first time since her first night in the hiding place of Akatsuki that they would all dine together.

Smirking, she wondered if Kisame had remembered whose turn it was to order food this time, as she crossed the hallway, entering Kisame's room.

Only Itachi was there when she walked in, and he glanced at Sakura to acknowledge the fact that she was in the room. He didn't say anything, but she was used to it. Briefly, she wondered if Sasuke took after his brother in that department, before the door opened again and Kisame walked through the door, carrying a bottle of sake.

He politely bowed to Itachi, obviously showing his respect and grinned when he spotted Sakura.

"What's for dinner Itachi-san?" Kisame growled as he placed the bottle of sake on his table. Itachi briefly looked up and met Kisame's gaze. "Rice balls and sushi, it's a local specialty—apparently."

Kisame nodded approvingly, and motioned for Sakura to sit on a chair. She complied quickly and sat down on the only available place, which was next to Itachi. She glanced briefly at him, and saw that he discarded the Akatsuki robe once again, leaving him in his mesh shirt and dark pants. She blushed fiercely as her gaze fell upon his pants, and quickly fixed her gaze upon Kisame.

Even though Itachi frequently discarded his robes, she never saw Kisame without them, and briefly wondered what he wore underneath them. The silence between the three of them as maddening, and Sakura thought about what she could possibly say to release some of the tension.

Finally, she decided to ask Kisame some questions.

"Kisame, where are you from?" she asked tentatively, hoping that he wouldn't mind talking about his village. He had no such problem, and she let out a sigh of relief as he answered her question.

"The Hidden Village of Mist," he answered without hesitation.

"Mist? I once met two ninja's from Mist… When I just started out as a genin," she answered happily, now that she had a topic for conversation.

Kisame chuckled. "Who?"

"Momochi Zabuza-san, and his assistant, Haku-san," she replied, after a short pause. Had it really been almost seven years since Zabuza and Haku died? It seemed like just yesterday.

"Oh that kid," Kisame responded. "I remember him; he was a part of our group."

"Your group?" Sakura asked; her interest peaked.

"Yeah, seven elite shinobi swordsmen from Mist. That kid was one of us, and I was too," he grinned. "I wonder what happened to him…"

"He… He was killed," Sakura said quietly, not knowing how to break the news to him.

"Killed eh?" Kisame responded. He chuckled slightly. "A fitting end for such a fool."

Sakura was shocked at this statement. Surely Kisame would care, they were in the same group, how could you not care what happened to your teammates?

"You… You don't care about him?" she asked.

"No. We were just like Akatsuki, we worked in teams or alone, but even if you're a team, everybody needs to depend on his own powers, and when you can't, you die. Tough luck," Kisame replied. "So, who killed him?"

"My sensei at that time had injured him badly, perhaps you know him; Hatake Kakashi," she started to explain, only to be cut off by Itachi.

"Copy-ninja Kakashi… He was in charge of you and the kyuubi?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, and your brother," she replied while avoiding his gaze. She felt his eyes upon her and became a little unnerved.

"No wonder he's so soft… No hate can come from somebody who is trained by Kakashi. The fool, he's led by his believes about team work and love," Itachi commented as he looked out of the window.

"The food is here," Itachi said after a small pause. Kisame took it as his sign to open the door, and as he paid for the food, Sakura allowed her gaze to wander towards Itachi. How a man could be so cold, to the point that he thought Kakashi's ideas about teamwork were foolish, she would never understand.

As Kisame sat down with the food and the three of them tested it for poison, she knew that there was one burning question she wanted to ask Itachi, but she knew she never could. Even if she would ever get the nerve to ask such a thing, she would be dead the next second. But it still haunted her mind, even when she lied in her bed.

She heard the door open slightly, and close again. Itachi's footsteps could be heard and they stopped a few feet from her, probably close to his bed. She remained perfectly still as she heard him undress and crawl underneath the blankets. She mentally cursed herself for not falling asleep instantly, and knew that Itachi knew that she was awake.

She turned around slightly, so she could see the outline of Itachi in his bed. He was looking at the ceiling, away in the world of his thoughts as he heard her say his name.

He turned his head slightly, so he could meet her eyes and show her that he was listening.

"Good night, Itachi-san," she said, ever so softly, before she turned around. He lied still for a few more seconds, his eyes never leaving her back, before he turned around as well.

As Sakura slightly dozed off into the world of dreams, hoping that she wouldn't dream about Itachi again, she realized one thing, a minor detail, yet significantly important;

Itachi came to sleep while she was awake; he had never done that before. He always waited until she was asleep before he came to bed… Perhaps now, finally, she was gaining his trust?

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_**A/n: **The end of a huge chapter! So, how did you like it?_

_I am aware that Kisame knew about Zabuza's death after his 'conversation' with Kakashi, but I had to put in something that reminded Sakura a little of their cruelty, even if Itachi and Kisame were nice to her now._

_Ah well, the contest was a great success, and I found the perfect theme for this fanfiction! It was all thanks to **blackbloodedkunoichi**! Congratulations, you've won the one-shot, so please tell me which couple I should write about!_

_See you next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	7. Chapter 7

**Metamorphosis – An Itachi & Sakura story.  
By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/n: **Oh my God! Thank you so much for the 100 reviews! I never expected this story to become to popular, so thank you, all of you! I apologize for the delay though._

**Chapter Seven – Medical Attentions**

"Get up kunoichi, or I'll have to drag you out of there," Kisame's voice growled in the early morning. As the pink-haired kunoichi by the name of Sakura finally opened her eyes, she found him standing in front of her bed, sneering at her with a look she hadn't seen before.

"We have to go immediately, so hurry up and get dressed," he said quickly, and walked out of the room. A little peeved, Sakura tried to wake up and rubbed her eyes. She turned around to see if Itachi was in the room. As she found out he wasn't there, she quickly discarded her pajamas and dressed herself. She ran a comb through her hair, and threw her Akatsuki robes around her shoulders when Kisame walked in.

"Done?" he asked; the tone of his voice a little bit more friendly then earlier.

"Yes," she replied, before following his retreating form.

Not a word was said until they stepped outside, and Sakura couldn't help herself. She looked around to check the area again for any signs of the dark-haired man that traveled with them, and when she saw none, she turned towards Kisame.

"Where's Itachi-san?" she asked hesitantly.

"We ran into some friends of yours, ANBU from Konoha. Deidara and Itachi-san are fighting them now, and Itachi-san specifically asked me to get you out of the inn," Kisame replied simply. As Sakura focused on his voice, she could hear that he wasn't worried in the least that Deidara and Itachi would lose, and this thought slightly stopped the fear that ran through her body. She nodded, and both disappeared in a flash.

As they made their way through the forest, Sakura suddenly found an opening in Kisame's watchful eye. He would be looking around and focusing on enemy chakras, rather than keep his ever watchful eye on Sakura. Her opportune moment arrived when Kisame started sprinting through the forest, his hand on the Samehada and a bloodthirsty look in his eyes. As Kisame let his guard down for a moment, thinking that Sakura would surely follow him, she dashed away in a random direction, making sure that her chakra was well hidden.

She could hear the faintest sounds of Kisame cursing as she made progress through the forest, and slowly those sounds diminished, until she could only hear the sound of the birds and the leafs rustling.

Feeling a little faint from her dash, she sat down after a good two-hour run, hoping that she had lost Itachi and Kisame. She felt exhausted. The run had depleted most of her chakra as she needed to get as far away as possible, and she wasn't used to running as much as she used to now that she had been locked up for two weeks in one hotel room.

And then, she felt it. His chakra was nearing her fast, and it showed no intention of stopping to look around in the surroundings. This could only mean that he knew exactly where she was. Sakura slowly stood up, and prepared herself to start running again. It would be wise to try and get as far into Sound as she possibly could, without Itachi following her.

She started gathering chakra into her feet when she sensed it. Itachi had stopped. More precisely, Itachi was untraceable at the moment. It was as if his chakra had completely vanished into thin air. No matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn't feel it anymore.

"Damn," she cursed silently.

"That would be the appropriate word for this situation, yes," a smooth male voice came from behind her. As Sakura cursed her luck, and inner Sakura threw a tantrum, she slowly turned around, not wanting to see the man who had uttered those words.

The first thing she saw was three Akatsuki robes, and as she slowly moved her gaze upwards, she saw that Itachi stood nearest to her and Kisame and Deidara stood behind him. Sakura tried read the look in his eyes, but as always, Itachi remained poker-faced while he stared back at her.

Sakura tore her gaze from Itachi's blood-red sharingan to observe Deidara and Kisame. Deidara was grinning, as usual. His light hair was obscuring his left eye, but she could see something black with a spiral on it poking out there. She removed her gaze from Deidara and looked at Kisame. He was slightly hunched, his hand fisted in his robes.

_I wonder what's up with him…?_

"Going somewhere?" Deidara asked; the grin still in place.

"As a matter of fact, yes," she retorted angrily.

"To meet Itachi's bro… yeah," Deidara chuckled before pointing towards Kisame. "Itachi was quite pissed actually, look what he did to Kisame… yeah."

"That is enough Deidara," Itachi finally interrupted. Deidara glowered at Itachi for a second, undoubtedly angered that his fun was spoiled, but he remained calm as he fixed his gaze back on Kisame. He laughed out loud when Kisame shot him a glare of impatience and anger and squatted down in front of him, starting a conversation while talking in hushed voices, ignoring Itachi and Sakura completely.

Finally, Sakura found the strength to talk to Itachi, while stubbornly ignoring the glare he was giving her.

"Why did you come here?" she asked quietly, not knowing how to deal with her anger now that another one of her brilliant escape plans failed her.

"You are a hostage, I cannot allow you to escape," he answered.

"Well, then let me go," she retorted.

"I'm afraid I can't. My eyes haven't been healed yet, and perhaps your medic skills will come in handy."

"So, I'm just a tool for you to get your eyesight back? Don't you even care about your brother!"

She watched him like a hawk as his eyes slightly narrowed. She knew he was getting agitated because of her tone, and the fact that she was half-yelling at him. Kisame and Deidara had stopped their conversation, and now shifted their attentions from Itachi to Sakura.

"I don't care about anyone," he said, voice still devoid from emotions. "If you ever thought otherwise, it would be best if you used your mind next time, before throwing a tantrum at me."

He took a few steps towards her, making sure that she was pressed up against a tree when he slightly leaned towards her. His sharingan made sure that she kept her eyes on his, even if she didn't plan on looking away.

"After all, I am an S-Class criminal," he said quietly.

He abruptly let go of her and stalked off towards Deidara and Kisame, ordering them something as the both of them stood up, and he was gone within an instant. As Sakura's gaze focused on the place he was standing just seconds ago, Deidara dashed towards Sakura, eyes wide.

"How the hell did you do that!" Deidara asked incredulously.

"Do what?" she asked, still slightly confused.

"If Salmon here, of me would have thrown such a tantrum towards Itachi, he would have killed us without hesitation, whether we're Akatsuki or not… yeah," Deidara explained hastily, making Sakura snort when she heard Kisame's nickname.

"But he didn't kill you? Perhaps old Itachi is become soft… yeah," Deidara smirked. Sakura chuckled. Deidara was certainly her only source of entertainment at the moment, and she couldn't help but laugh when she saw Deidara turning around, calling Kisame a Salmon again. After Kisame let out a string of curses, in which she was sure she heard the words 'Samehada' and 'shaving' he stood up, still clutching his Akatsuki robe.

_Itachi's probably really strong, if he can make Kisame flinch like that after one punch._

As Kisame struggled to walk towards them, Sakura tentatively stepped a few steps towards him, molding her chakra to her hand.

"I'll heal you," she said, a little self-conscious that she had been the cause of his injury. He nodded, gritting his teeth in pain when she opened up the Akatsuki robe, and he pulled up his shirt a little. She had been prepared to see Kisame's blue skin, as she had learned over the weeks that it was a trait of his clan, but she hadn't expected to see that his body was a normal as a human's. She would have expected more shark-like traits, but his stomach was normal, except for the blue hue that graced it.

As her chakra entered his body, and she quickly healed him, she wondered how someone like Kisame could survive in this hard world. She knew that Naruto had been ignored for almost twelve years. She knew that even the Kazekage – Gaara – had been alone for such a long time, both because they were the vessels of demons, but what if you just looked that way because you were born in a certain clan.

Years ago, when she was still a genin, when she was still twelve, when she still had Sasuke, Zabuza had told them that the Mist country was a lot tougher than Konoha. She didn't quite understand what he had meant with that, until Naruto told her the tale of Haku, how war had corrupted the minds of the citizens of the Hidden Village of Mist, how they were killing everybody with a bloodline limit.

Now that she thought about it, Gaara had gone completely berserk without friends, or any loved ones. If Kisame had shared the same kind of fate as Gaara had, it wasn't unlikely that he had gone wild as well, killing whoever stood in his way.

Sakura didn't exactly know what Kisame had done, but what she had heard from a few Jounins in Konoha, it seemed he killed a feudal lord, and a few shinobi while he was at it. Strange to think about it, as Kisame had always acted pretty nice around her. Perhaps he needed somebody else to talk with. She could imagine that traveling alone with Itachi could work on ones nerves.

"Oi, kunoichi, I think Salmon's wound is already healed," Deidara's voice came from her right. The train of thoughts left her, and she suddenly found herself with her hand still pressed against Kisame's stomach, staring at his shirt. As she looked to her right, she could see that Deidara was biting his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing, and as she looked up to meet Kisame's face, he was staring at her in a weird manner.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I was lost in thought there," she apologized.

"Kunoichi," Deidara said, the laughter not escaping his voice. "You're still holding him."

In shock, Sakura stared at her hand, which was positioned above Kisame's lower abdomen, and she removed her hand so quickly as if his skin was burning. She could hear him chuckle slightly with Deidara, happy that he didn't read more into it than it actually was.

He pulled his shirt back down and closed the Akatsuki robe, before thanking her and standing up. As he inspected the rest of the area, focused on enemies in the vicinity, Deidara neared her.

"You really are an interesting kunoichi, aren't you? … Yeah," he chuckled slightly, and Sakura found herself annoyed, as well as amused with Deidara. He was certainly something else. He had a great sense of humor, and he wasted no time in using it. He smirked as he caught Sakura staring at him.

"So, first you work your magic on Itachi," he grinned as Sakura choked. "And now, you're seducing Salmon with your hands on his stomach… Should I be worried? … Yeah." Deidara laughed out loud as Sakura turned a deep shade of red.

Kisame wisely ignored the conversation. He knew Deidara was only joking, and despite of that, it still got on his nerves. He knew that Deidara was very skilled in fighting though, so that wasn't an option. He'd give him hell later on.

"How is Sasori doing?" he grumbled as the three of them walked towards the border of the Hidden Village of Rain. Deidara grinned as soon as he heard the name.

"Who is Sasori?" Sakura asked before Deidara could answer the question. As soon as she asked that question, Deidara and Kisame exchanged a significant glance, before Deidara turned towards Sakura.

"Another Akatsuki member. He's weird though… yeah. He's from Sand and supposed to be my teammate, but we don't hang around that much. Itachi and Kisame are far better entertainment… yeah," he answered her question after a slight pause. "He likes art too though!"

"Art?" she asked confused. "What kind of art?"

"He's a puppeteer," Deidara replied. "He collects the bodies of the people he kills, and turns them into dolls. Like I said, he's weird," Deidara shrugged.

"Personally, I like the more finesse side of art," Deidara continued ranting. "I prefer clay over those bodies, and at least I don't have to cut the bodies open." He grinned at that statement.

"You made a big mistake there kunoichi," Kisame growled as he tried to cover up his ears to protect himself from Deidara's ranting. "Once Deidara talks about art, it's all he does. He'll give a demonstration sooner or later." After that, Kisame grinned and proceeded to walk in a faster tempo than Deidara and Sakura, determined not to drive himself crazy.

Deidara's demonstration proved to be sooner than later, and after a few minutes of Deidara putting things together, and making hand seals, she watched in awe how the little bird he made flew away. As soon as he saw the smile lit on her face, Deidara chuckled, making another one for her. He liked the kunoichi, it wasn't too often that he came in contact with someone else than Sasori, Itachi or Kisame, and he liked the fact that she could appreciate his sense of humor and his art.

No matter what people thought of S-Class criminals, they were still human, and sometimes, Deidara just craved for somebody to talk with. Sure he enjoyed the senseless batter he and Sasori had sometimes, but Sasori was a sore loser when he lost the discussion. He inwardly grinned and gave the new bird to Sakura.

"How old Sasori now?" Kisame asked as soon as he realized they'd stopped talking about art.

"Depends," Deidara answered vaguely.

"Depends?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, sometimes he's around fifty and sometimes he looks as young as the handsome fellow here." Deidara laughed out loud when he uttered that last statement, and Sakura could hear Kisame chuckle.

"Can I ask you one more thing Deidara-san?" Sakura asked timidly after they passed the border.

"Sure thing kunoichi… yeah, what is your name?" Deidara asked.

"Sakura," she responded.

"Nice, it fits your hair… yeah," he grinned slightly. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

"What did Itachi say when he left?"

"That we should get you to the Hidden Village of Rain, and should we lose you a second time, he would kill us, whether we're Akatsuki or not," Kisame responded instead of Deidara. "It's good that you didn't try to escape again though."

Deidara nodded in agreement. "Itachi never gets really angry, but if that's the case, you might as well kill yourself because a look in the Mangekyou Sharingan isn't exactly a walk in the park"

Sakura nearly stopped walking after that statement. So even his own group was scared of him. No wonder that he was almost in control and Kisame followed his orders. She knew Itachi was strong to have killed the entire Uchiha clan in one night. She had also heard about Kakashi's injury and had spent every day next to Sasuke's bed when he had been attacked by Itachi, but the mere thought that he was this powerful, that even the strongest missing nins from different villages were scared of him frightened her slightly.

"So, who is your boss?" she asked out of mild curiosity. She had been wondering about him for a long time actually. Yet when she asked that question, she could feel two intense gazes upon her form, and she realized she had asked the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, without knowing what she was apologizing for. "It seems I've offended you," she added quietly.

"No need to apologize, it's normal to want answers about a group that is as secretive as ours," Deidara said in an unusual serious voice. "But you're not part of Akatsuki, so we can't tell you anything other than our members."

She nodded understandingly and the remaining part of their journey remained silent. Deidara and Kisame occasionally chatted with each other about things Sakura knew nothing about, and when Kisame was checking in at the hotel they would be staying, Deidara showed her some neat tricks that she could do with the bird.

-------------------------------

Dinner had arrived a few hours after they finally got to the inn, and as Deidara and Sakura joined up and headed for the dining room, they saw Itachi arrive. He was unharmed, and it didn't look like he had been in a fight of some sorts. He looked normal, and Sakura couldn't help but question what he did when he went out.

Itachi glanced at the both of them, and headed for a room. To her dismay, she saw that it was her room that he had entered, which could only mean that they were sleeping in the same room—again.

Sakura kept wondering about Itachi's whereabouts until they had arrived in the dining room. Kisame was already seated in one of the chairs. Sakura sat down on the opposite side of Kisame, and Deidara sat down next to her.

"So… Who ordered?" she asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"I did," Itachi's smooth voice came from the doorway.

"Shit," Deidara cursed. "If Itachi ordered, it means that we're having a 'well out-balanced meal' as he calls it himself. But Kisame and I think it's boring to eat so much sushi… yeah." He snorted as Itachi dropped the bag on the table and seated himself next to Kisame.

"How did it go?" Kisame asked. Naturally Sakura tried to understand what they were talking about, but she figured that this was 'Akatsuki stuff,' so she had taught herself not to ask them about it. Deidara seemed to understand though, as he smiled when he passed her the sushi.

"Oh Itachi!" he suddenly exclaimed, forcing Itachi and Kisame to stop their conversation and look at Deidara who had stood up, holding a cup of Miso in his hands. "You actually bought something without rice in it! Miso soup, my favorite!"

Sakura laughed when Itachi decided to ignore the overly-happy Akatsuki members, and resumed eating as Kisame was laughing at Deidara as well. He had trained himself for years not to smile, whatever happened, yet Deidara could act so stupid at times that he had to stop himself from smiling. The cold exterior which he had built wasn't there for nothing. He felt the corners of his mouth tug a little as Deidara confessed his love to the cup of Miso and yet said his condolences as he had to open up the cup to eat it.

_Moron._

He switched his gaze to Sakura instead. The kunoichi had grown since she first arrived. She seemed friendly with Kisame and Deidara, and kept out of his hair, which was good, but a little disappointing at that. Itachi couldn't deny that having somebody intelligent to talk with was a nice change from Kisame and Deidara, but he wasn't one to push a matter. If she wanted to have a conversation with him, which didn't involve threats, she could come to him herself.

That didn't make him forget about that fact that she was going to heal his eyes soon, and he couldn't help but feel a little excited at the thought of his old eyesight returning. He had walked with those blurry eyes for a while now, and he couldn't wait to see everything as sharp as he once could. It had been long since he was excited about something.

"Sakura-san," he started as he watched her taking a bite of her sushi. She immediately choked because of her surprise. Deidara started to pat her back enthusiastically and because of that, her lungs were free of rice again. She wiped away the tears that had set in motion and drank from her glass of water before turning to Itachi.

"I apologize Sakura-san," he said smoothly. "When we're done, I'd like to start working on my eyes."

"After dinner?" she asked while glancing at Deidara's disappointed look. She knew he couldn't go in against his wishes, but she had really looked forward to his demonstration of his powers and he had promised her to teach her the trick of his paper bird.

As Itachi nodded, Sakura braced herself for what she was going to say.

"I can't," she blurted out, her eyes never leaving the table. At that moment, everything became quiet. She couldn't hear the soft scraping of the chopsticks on their plates, nor the sounds of them eating; all three had stopped eating and were looking at her in utter amazement.

"And can I ask why not?" his voice didn't betray his emotions, even though she knew he was fuming inwardly.

"Deidara and I are going out after dinner, he was going to show me something," she calmly replied as the shaking of her voice gave her true feelings away.

She lifted her head up to meet his eyes, and couldn't help but be surprised when she saw amusement flicker through his eyes. She could also notice the fact that he was slightly peeved and inwardly cringed with that thought.

"We had a deal Sakura," he remarked and she noticed how he suddenly stopped using the suffix, indicating nothing more then trouble.

_He can't kill me… He needs me, don't forget that Sakura. He won't kill you._

"Well, the deal never said anything about a strict time we should follow, so I thought there wasn't going to be any problem if I treated your eyes one day later," she retorted, finding back a little more of the strength that she used to have.

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly, another indication that he was beginning to get impatient and angered. Deidara noticed this change in Itachi and quickly rose from his chair.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan," he started. "If Itachi wants you to heal his eyes, we'll do it another time. We've got all the time in the world anyway." Deidara grinned reassuringly.

"No," her voice was stern.

"Deidara, Kisame, leave," Itachi suddenly spoke up.

Kisame and Deidara exchanged a significant glance, before Kisame nodded and disappeared, and Deidara followed after a slightly worried look towards Sakura. Sakura just sat in silence. From the worried look that she had gotten from Deidara, and the way Itachi dismissed the two, she could sense that she had definitely passed the line, and that he would be angered.

"We had a deal Sakura, you were supposed to heal my eyes," he said in his low voice. This tone always helped him out in Sakura's case, and he couldn't be more surprised now that her scared looked disappeared and a scowl came in place.

"The DEAL never said ANYTHING about the time! I can't even go out and have fun with Deidara because you're in such a hurry to have your eyes fixed!" she yelled at him.

His eyes narrowed again, and she should have noticed it but she was too blinded with the piling emotions inside of her that she needed to throw it all out, be damned the consequences. With one swipe of her hand, she threw everything off the table, slamming her palms on top.

"Who the hell do you think you are! Just because you find me, you automatically assume that I'm your hostage and I'm going to act like your lapdog, well GUESS AGAIN!" she resumed, yelling at him at the top of her lungs.

He stood up now, discarding his robes and stood still as she continued her tantrum.

"AND THE WORST THING ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS THAT YOU'RE KEEPING ME AWAY FROM MY GOAL. DAMN IT ITACHI LET ME GO TO SOUND, LET ME GO TO SASUKE," she screamed, not caring that she was acting like a child.

She continued screaming, and finally, Itachi had enough. He moved so quickly that she couldn't even see his movements, but the next thing she knew, she was with her back on the table, looking at his furious face. His mask finally broke and the emotions that he had kept bottled inside came out. She didn't stop yelling though. She pounded at his chest, demanding him to let go. That soon stopped though by a tiny movement of Itachi.

His lips were pressing against hers.

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_**A/n: **I've received various reviews, asking me if this story is going to be similar to Leafygirl's Loophole. The answer is no. Yes, ofcourse I know that Sakura also healed Itachi's eyes in Loophole, but Loophole is a different story than Metamorphosis, and I just hope that you can see that. Sakura fixing Itachi's eyes is a part of the plot._

_Another thing I wanted to clarify about this story is the Akatsuki members. I really envisioned Deidara to be a fun-loving guy, who likes to tease his teammate. And because we don't see him much during the manga, I could go my own way. Kisame is the same thing, he might act all stern and serious when Itachi is in the vicinity, but when Deidara shows up, Deidara can usually make everybody (except Itachi) smile. Another question about the Akatsuki is if anyone else is going to show up. Well, Sasori is definitely going to make an appearance; he won't be one of the main Akatsuki members in this story, mind you. Zetsu might be an option, but I don't really think he'll meet up with Sakura. _

_As for questions about when this story happens, it's sort of an AU from the manga. In the manga they already know when Orochimaru can take over somebody's body, how much time he needs for that. And in the manga ofcourse (spoilers; stop reading now if you're not past the second part of the manga) Sasori already died because of Sakura and Chiyo-baasama. _

_See you next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	8. Chapter 8

**Metamorphosis – An Itachi & Sakura story.  
By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/n: **I am SO sorry it took so long. I had a small writers block for a while there, and that, combined with school and loads of other stuff that needed to be completed resulted in a very belated chapter of Metamorphosis._

**Chapter Eight – Sacrifices Must Be Made**

Sakura knew something was brewing between the two of them, after all, Itachi was one very handsome man, and some kunoichi just fell for that kind of guys. Brooding, partially evil, and drop-dead gorgeous. Itachi and Sasuke definitely were these kinds of men. She couldn't deny the obvious attraction, but she had always thought that she could stop herself before she was in too deep.

She couldn't.

As his warm body hovered over hers, his masculine lips gently brushing against hers, she found her will slipping away more and more until it was completely banished to a far corner of her mind. As much as Sakura wanted to stop it, she did exactly the opposite, and snaked her arms around his waist. She could feel him smirk against her lips before he nudged them slightly, deepening the kiss.

Itachi pinned her against the table, kissing her feverishly. Sakura's senses were overloaded, she could feel him everywhere; pressed against her, she could smell the elusive scent that was his, and a burning sensation that nearly send her nerves to overload. Her tongue engaged with his, sending shivers all over her spine when the tips of their tongues touched each other.

Sakura broke the kiss first as she ran out of air. She could feel his hot breath fanning around her neck as he lied on top of her, trying to regain his breath. He pushed himself off her and sat down on one of the chairs as Sakura struggled to sit up straight. An uncomfortable pause stretched between the two of them.

"Itachi, I…" Sakura stammered, trying to regain her composure. At that exact moment, Kisame stormed through the door, followed by Deidara.

"Sorry Itachi-san, but we thought you should know there's a small army of Leaf hunter nin outside," Kisame said before either Itachi or Sakura could say anything. Itachi nodded, and without a second glance towards Sakura, he walked out of the room. Kisame followed him, but Deidara lingered a little longer.

"Are you okay?" he asked, the curiosity in his voice evident.

"Fine… Just fine," she replied vaguely. "How many hunter nins?"

"Around twenty, yeah." Deidara looked slightly worried. "Salmon-chan told me they were hunting you… Any particular reason why?"

"I left Konoha a few weeks ago; I take it they're afraid that I'll pass on Tsunade-sama's secret moves and healing jutsus," she sighed. "I'm really of no further value to Konoha than a good medic nin," she added.

Deidara nodded in understanding. "When I was younger, they used to tease me that I wouldn't be of any value, since I'm not much good in the taijutsu and genjutsu areas. So I perfected my ninjutsu with the help of clay and paper." He sighed. "After I turned sixteen, I left Stone and joined Akatsuki shortly after. It was then that I perfected my taijutsu and genjutsu… yeah"

He glanced at her before pulling his forehead protector off and played with the cool metal of the Stone sign. "I guess my hometown never really cared for me… They only sent hunter nins after me because of my clan… yeah."

As he put his forehead protector back on, Sakura glanced at him.

_He's exactly the same… Like me. He probably felt useless in his childhood as well…_

Feeling the sudden rush to tell him more about her, she stood up until she was standing right in front of him, and squatted down.

"When I was still a genin, I was placed in a team with a brilliant jounin as our leader, a member of the genius Uchiha clan, and another boy who had the kyuubi sealed inside of him," she spoke softly. As Deidara waited for her to continue, she took a deep breath in and continued. "I wasn't any good for the team. Sasuke was our number one rookie, the strongest genin at the moment. When our first fight against a few nins from Mist came, the only thing I could do was jump in front of the man we were supposed to protect, and hope that I could save him."

She could almost see sadness flicker in Deidara's eyes, but she quickly dismissed it. Akatsuki were still ninjas, and that would mean that Deidara could never show emotion in front of anybody else.

"Then, as time went by, Naruto became stronger, and perhaps he even surpassed Sasuke-kun. After Sasuke-kun left, and Naruto went with Jiraiya, I knew that I couldn't keep up with them. They were growing out of my reach, even further than before," she lowered her gaze slightly. "So I asked Tsunade-shisou to be my mentor, and teach me the arts of medical ninjutsu."

Before she even knew what was happening, she was crying. As the tears made their way down her cheeks, she knew she wouldn't stop them. She couldn't, even if she wanted to. Every ninja should cry once.

"But even now, I lack in strength. I'm a good kunoichi, yet I'll never be able to catch up with them. I'll always keep seeing their backs," she finished, tears now spilling freely over her clothes. As the tears blurred her vision, she could faintly see Deidara standing up, and moving towards her.

It wasn't until she felt his arms around her, almost hesitantly as if he hadn't embraced anybody before that she could let go. She clutched his robes in her hands, not caring if Itachi or Kisame, or Deidara for that matter would think of her as weak. At that moment, the only thing she cared about was talking to somebody who would be able to understand what she had been through. She crushed him in her embrace and cried freely on his shoulder until there were no more tears.

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"Damn it, that sneaky little hunter nin injured me," Kisame cursed as he fell in step behind Itachi. He growled slightly as he inspected the wound on his arm. During the fight, a hunter nin, almost as short as a child came up to him when he wasn't on his guard and attacked him with a couple of shurikens. He cursed loudly as more of his blood spilled out of the wound.

"Let the kunoichi inspect the wound later," Itachi replied. He too was tired, even if you couldn't tell he was. He had used his sharingan too much and his vision started to blur again, to a point that he couldn't even see Kisame's outline clearly. The Mangekyou sharingan was a great weapon, but it drove him insane that he could deteriorate his vision whenever he used it.

As they dashed through the forest that led to their Inn in Rain, Itachi's mind focused back on the pink haired kunoichi that he had left in Deidara's care. Without thinking, he had kissed her. Never in his entire life had he gotten close to anybody, especially no females. He never had any needs that he couldn't control, or the urge to just go out and screw around. Yet whenever he was near the kunoichi, he had the sudden urge to be near her—in every possible way.

He let out a soft sigh before dismissing the thought. He never liked anybody in a romantic fashion, and he would certainly not be starting on his twenty-third year on this planet. It was probably just some belated hormones.

As they walked into the room where they had left Sakura and Deidara, they stood in the door opening in shock. There, Deidara sat with Sakura in his lap, who was obviously either asleep or unconscious. He was cradling her in his arms, and it seemed he had dozed off too. As Kisame let out a small sound of disbelief, Itachi could feel the instinct to kill burning up. He fought with his murderous thoughts though, and kept on his poker face as he watched Deidara awakening from his light slumber.

"Having fun, eh Stone boy?" Kisame grinned. "I hope she isn't too tired, I really need her to check my arm here," Kisame added.

Deidara gave a lopsided grin, before turning his gaze towards Sakura, who was opening her eyes when she heard the faint sounds of Kisame and Itachi returning. She blinked a couple of times, before she realized she was staring directly at Deidara and moved her gaze from the ex-Stone ninja towards Kisame and Itachi.

Itachi looked the same as always. A little amount of blood was spattered over his cloak, and he looked slightly exhausted to her trained medical eyes. He still had a poker face though, and when she moved up, she came to the startling conclusion that he didn't have his sharingan on.

"Kisame wants you to check out his arm," Deidara whispered softly. Sakura blinked a couple of times, oblivious to the soft and gentle tone of Deidara and nodded before standing up. She didn't once look at Itachi again, afraid of the obvious blush that graced her features.

She could remember every thing that happened earlier. From the gentle, masculine lips that had pressed against her, to the warmth of his body. She took in a deep breath before walking towards Kisame, who started to roll up his sleeve.

Now that the wound was visible, all thoughts of Itachi disappeared into thin air. The flesh on his wrist looked mangled and it didn't take the best eyes in the world to see how deep the wound actually was. She gasped as she stretched out her hand to inspect the wound. He flinched as soon as her hand touched a particular painful spot. Sakura immediately started to mold chakra and started the healing process.

Instantly, the pain on Kisame's arm was diminishing and as Kisame opened his eyes, he could see his flesh healing almost instantly under the warmth of Sakura's chakra. He muttered a thanks when she was done, still admiring the amazing skills of the kunoichi. She smiled slightly and nodded.

"How did it go?" she asked Kisame, wanting to know who could possibly inflict such a wound upon him.

"Twenty Leaf ANBU; not much of a challenge, but one attacked me when I wasn't focusing well. A really small kid, I think it might even be another kunoichi," Kisame reported, almost dutifully.

Sakura's eyes widened with that thought. She only knew two female ANBU members, and both of them were friends of hers. Praying that she didn't know this ANBU, she continued her interrogation.

"Did you see her hair?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Kisame shook his head. "No, but they did call out her name as I killed her, strange name too," Kisame grinned. "I don't remember it though, just that it sounded slightly weird."

"I heard," Itachi finally spoke up. Sakura could almost feel the heat radiating off her cheeks as she turned around to face him. His face was still dead serious, no indication that he was joking. His midnight blue eyes were staring directly at her.

"So, what was her name?" _Please don't let it be Ino or Tenten, please God, please…_

"Tenten," Itachi answered smoothly.

For a moment, Sakura felt as if the world had stopped. She fell down on her knees, breathing harshly, as if somebody had knocked the air out of her lungs. She could sense that Deidara was crouching next to her, checking if she was alright. Neither Kisame nor Itachi said anything. Apparently they understood that Sakura had known Tenten.

"W-Who said her name…? Do you know?" Sakura asked, shakily.

Tenten and Sakura weren't exactly friends, but during the six years since the chuunin exam, they had grown a little closer, especially because Lee and Sakura were friends, so they saw each other pretty often. Lee had told her about his teammates, and that he respected Tenten because Tenten was almost the same as Lee was. Tenten couldn't mold chakra as well as Neji or any other genin at that time could, and because of that, she focused on weapons. Tenten quickly became a first-class kunoichi because of her determination.

Tenten was the first one to pass to chuunin after she perfected her skills, and she was promoted to ANBU soon after, because her booby traps were perfect, and her aim was dead right.

_And now Kisame killed her…_

Faintly, she could hear Kisame mumbling something. As she lifted up her head to face him, she found herself unable to hate him, even now. Kisame was nice to her, like Deidara. They made her life as a missing nin bearable, but it was still hard to know that the shark like man standing in front of her had killed one of her fellow Shinobis.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," Sakura spoke up quietly.

"I said that I didn't know who had said her name," Kisame answered truthfully.

"Was he using the Byakugan technique, or perhaps taijutsu?" she asked.

"Are you implying that one of the Hyuuga made it to ANBU?" Itachi asked smoothly.

"Hyuuga Neji did," she spat out. "Or did you kill him too!"

Sakura struggled to get up; pushing away the hand that Deidara had offered her. As she looked up to the two men in front of her, her sadness disappeared and blind rage quickly filled her mind.

"That's it isn't it? You're Akatsuki; you kill everybody who stands in your way, not caring who it was! And you!" Sakura pointed at Itachi. "You're the lowest! Killing your own clan because god knows what reason, you're sick! You don't care whose life you destroy, whether it's your little brother or mine, all to satisfy your own selfish needs!"

She had expected him to be angry with her. She had half expected him to kill her, and the other half of her mind thought about him beating her up. She never expected this though.

"You expect us to act differently?" Itachi's smooth voice asked her. "We are Akatsuki, as you just confirmed. We are missing nins who are used to this, and we do kill everybody who stands in the way." His midnight blue eyes were focused on hers, and only her.

"Now, if I'm correct, we had a deal concerning my eyes," he continued. "When you've calmed down and restored your chakra, we will begin at once."

After that, Itachi disappeared into thin air with a small poof. Kisame stood there for a little longer, before shrugging and following Itachi's example.

Sakura felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Deidara's half-grin, before he turned around and walked out of the door, leaving her alone again, with only her thoughts to ponder about.

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"And so, we're back where we started off," Kisame chuckled slightly as the trio walked into Deidara's room. "That kunoichi hated me and Itachi now because we killed one of her former friends."

Deidara nodded before sitting down on a bed. He couldn't let the image of Sakura go just yet. She had just told him everything there was to know about her village, and she had told him about everybody she admired, and that Tenten girl was part of them.

He sighed; never in a million years would he have expected Sakura to be so open with him, but it seemed she was feeling comfortable with him, something that nobody except Kisame had achieved.

Ever since his little sister Iname had died, Deidara had never been so close to anybody again. He didn't mention it to Sakura though, nobody except Kisame knew about his little sister. She was the spitting image of him, with blond hair and the amber eyes. In Stone, she was the only one he could trust, and he couldn't have been prouder when she became a chuunin at the young age of twelve, four years younger than him.

But something that should have been a joyous event turned out to be a disaster. Deidara had been Iname's caretaker from the moment she was born, but when he had left her side, just for a moment to discuss a mission with the Tsuchikage, she was murdered by some Shinobi from Sand.

He left the village after they had found her, declaring a personal war to Sand, and as soon as he had been accepted into Akatsuki, he didn't hesitate to ask if he could be the one to bring the Shukaku into headquarters. He was paired up with Sasori, the one who came from Sand, and soon left to try to extract the Shukaku from the Kazekage; Gaara of the Desert.

He never allowed himself to be close to anybody again, that it, until Sakura showed up. He sighed again. Her spirit, her voice, the willpower that Iname once possessed was now mirrored into Sakura. After Sakura had fallen asleep in his lap, he knew that he had lowered his mental barriers, just for her. Maybe he was feeling something for her?

_Naah, just the fact that she looks like Iname… yeah._

He glared at Itachi as the dark-haired Uchiha walked into the room, toweling off his hair. Itachi also had a bond with Sakura, albeit somewhat different, but he still couldn't erase the memory of him and Sakura kissing.

He didn't even mean to walk in on them, but he knocked and nobody answered, so he did walk in. Big mistake.

There she was, her beautiful pink hair splattered around the kitchen table, the food on floor. Itachi was hovering over her until she pulled him down in a kiss. He had turned around at that moment, knowing that he was interrupting something. Whatever Deidara was feeling, it was clear to him that Itachi was feeling the same. Perhaps Itachi's feelings for her were more intense than his.

Deidara chuckled with the thought of Itachi as a love sick puppy. It would certainly explain the fact that he hadn't killed her yet.

_Salmon is the only one stupid enough here to believe that Itachi's keeping her just for his eyes. Itachi's a skilled ninja, I'm sure he could have found another medic ninja sooner or later who could heal his eyes._

As Itachi combed through his hair quickly, Deidara didn't waste this opportunity to fold a small paper bug. After placing a ninjutsu over it, he quickly send it to Sakura's room, knowing that he could hear their conversation through that jutsu, and it would be a perfect opportunity to learn about their relationship.

He raised his hand in a farewell bid as Itachi stalked out of the room, and laid down on the bed, activating the jutsu. He could hear Sakura's slow breathing, which could only mean that she was asleep. A second later, he could hear a door open up; Itachi was there already.

--------------------------------------

During his young years, Itachi was mostly praised for three things. One; his ability to use his sharingan from the early age of seven. Two; the way he moved. You wouldn't even be able to hear him if he wanted to. The last thing he was praised for was the fact that he was aware of his environment.

The minute Itachi stepped into the room he and Sakura initially shared, he noticed two things.

Firstly; there was a bug in the upper left corner of Sakura's bed. Paper, so it would mean that Deidara was listening in. The second thing was that Sakura was still asleep. He could hear her soft, steady breathing.

In a flash, he stood next to her bed, squashing the little bug in an instant. He smirked slightly as he heard Deidara curse. Out of the four Akatsuki members he knew best, he was definitely the smartest one. As soon as he got over his little triumph over Deidara's plan, he lowered his gaze to the pink haired kunoichi who was still sleeping soundly.

She was beautiful; there was no doubt in that. Even Itachi could admit this little fact, even if he would never tell her this. Her pink hair was splayed all over the bed, his eyes closed to the outside world, and her perfect lips – the lips he had touched with his own – were slightly parted. Her hand was gripping the light blue sheet of her bed, and one leg was exposed.

He couldn't help himself to follow the smooth, elegant curve of her body. But as his eyes roamed over her body, Sakura shivered. His eyes never left her face as he bowed over her slightly, tucking her in so she wouldn't feel cold anymore. Just as he wanted to praise himself with his own stealth, sea-foam green eyes were staring at him. She looked half-asleep, half awake as she stared at him through half-lidded eyes.

She smiled slightly; a smile he hadn't seen before. It lighted up her features, and she closed her eyes again out of pure exhaustion. Just as Itachi turned around to leave the room, Sakura murmured something softly. At that moment, Itachi's softened gaze made place for his usual poker face, as he made his way through the room, throwing his clothes off in the process.

As he crawled under the sheets, he inwardly cursed for letting a girl get under his guard. He knew very well that he wouldn't forget those words; they reminded him of her mission. Her only mission.

"_Thank you… Sasuke-kun."_

_--------------------------_

_**A/N: **Gah, that took forever. I hope you liked this chapter though._

_I wanted to clear up some more things in this A/N._

_Firstly about Deidara's role. I've gotten many questions if Deidara is interested in Sakura as a lover or just a friend. It's a little of both actually. I wanted to make another love triangle thing, without the usual ItaSakuSasu, so I used Deidara in this. I made up his past, together with Iname. Lastly; the ever lasting question if he really says "…yeah" that much. The answer is YES. He does say it all the time._

_Secondly; perhaps people feel that Itachi was slightly OOC here. I've done some thinking, and we can't always keep Itachi in character. Sorry. I'm trying my hardest to keep him like the Itachi we all know and love, but I really can't make Itachi love somebody without at least changing him a little._

_Lastly about Tenten's death, and the unknown man who yelled out her name. I'm very sorry to have killed Tenten, but it yet again proves that the Akatsuki members aren't weak, and certainly do not hesitate to kill anybody. Sorry! The man who had yelled her name remains unknown for now. I'll give you hints in the later chapters. But you probably guessed already that it wasn't Neji; Itachi would have recognized the Byakugan technique._

_See you next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	9. Chapter 9

**Metamorphosis – An Itachi & Sakura story.  
By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/n: **There might be slight confusion in this chapter with the thought lines. Some of them are the things that Sasuke said and the others are just Sakura's thoughts._

**Chapter Nine – A Story of Storm and Fire.**

"Sit down," the Fifth signaled. As soon as she said the words, Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, Inuzuka Kiba, Shiranui Genma, Nara Shikamaru, Rock Lee, Maito Gai and Hyuuga Neji sat down on the chairs reserved for them.

"It's been four weeks since Sakura has left Konoha, and we still haven't heard anything," Tsunade said, sighing slightly. "So I've issued this mission. The eight of you will break up into two teams, the forward team, and the back-up team."

Seven heads nodded, yet one hand that belonged to the blond boy raised.

"Why are we splitting up?" he asked confusedly.

"Because it's troublesome if all eight of us are going together, we'd be easily spotted," Shikamaru sighed lazily.

"Correct," Tsunade replied. "Kakashi, Gai, Genma and Shikamaru will be in charge of both teams. Kakashi and Genma, you'll be in charge of the forward team. Kiba, you and Naruto will accompany Kakashi and Genma."

Kiba nodded, brushing away the stray bangs of hair that fell into his eyes. He and Akamaru had grown up a great deal since the chuunin exam of six years ago, and Kiba was now a young man of eighteen years old.

"The rear team will have Gai and Shikamaru in charge. Hyuuga, you and Lee will be in the rear team," Tsunade continued patiently. "If anything should happen to the forward team, Neji would be able to see that with his technique, and Shikamaru and Gai are clever enough to devise a plan."

Four heads nodded in agreement. None of them laughed like they used to. When none of this happened, when Sasuke and Sakura were still there, they laughed whenever they had gotten a mission, happy to go out. But now, it was different. Either they'd get killed, or they would be able to rescue Sasuke and Sakura.

"Now that we've handled the teams, I'll explain the precise mission and the plan."

"The forward team will leave in a week's time, and we hope that you'll arrive in Sound in a few days. The back-up team will be several miles behind, not too far so Neji can follow you. If and when you are attacked by any of the Sound nins, I can trust Kakashi, Genma, Naruto and Kiba to handle the situation. If not, and the Sound nins are overpowering you, the back-up team will enter and hopefully end the fight."

"When you arrive at the whereabouts of Orochimaru, which will be in the main building, seeing as he is the 'Outokage.' You can almost be certain that his most trusted right-hand will be there; Yakushi Kabuto. He has entered the chuunin exam several times, but don't let that boost your confidence; Kabuto is at jounin level and uses Medic jutsus. I'll trust Kakashi, Gai and Genma to get rid of him."

Kakashi nodded slightly, Genma uttered a 'yes ma'am' and Gai grinned.

"If you get past him, Orochimaru will be waiting for you. As Kakashi and many others of you know, Orochimaru is a very strong man, so you'll have to find another way to get past him. The primary goal here is to get into Sound, get Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura out of there, and bring them back to Konoha without starting a war. That is all."

All eight of them stood up when the Hokage dismissed them. As soon as they walked through the door, Kakashi, Gai and Genma left without even saying goodbye. Kiba waved goodbye and ran out with Akamaru, followed by Rock Lee who claimed he had some training to do. Neji nodded as a goodbye and followed Lee out the door.

Soon, only Shikamaru and Naruto were left in the large hallway.

"How are they handling the situation?" Naruto asked quietly, as Neji disappeared out of the door.

"I don't know. I heard from Ino that she saw Lee crying when he heard the news, and Hyuuga didn't say a word, he just turned around and walked away," Shikamaru answered, knowing what Naruto had meant with that question.

"Her death certainly was un-expected," Shikamaru continued.

"Hmm," Naruto replied, his eyes downcast. Tenten's death was a surprise to everybody who knew her. She hadn't told them anything, and then one day, Tsunade had called Team Gai to her, telling them that their former team member had died during a mission. After Naruto had heard the news, he couldn't help but think about Sakura.

What if he was going to be called any day now, that Tsunade had said that Sakura had been found by the hunter nins. It was an awful thought to think about such a thing, but he couldn't help himself; what if Sakura was next?

"Let's go, Naruto; I need to be at the exam office to discuss the plans for the new Chuunin exam," Shikamaru interrupted his thoughts with a sigh. "So troublesome, but it's the best jounin job you can get."

"Yeah, let's go!" Naruto grinned before running towards the door.

_-------------------------_

Sakura sighed. Now she could fully understand why it was called the Hidden Village of Rain. It kept raining throughout the day, and she was getting sick of it. From the moment she had woken up, till midday, it rained and rained.

She hadn't seen Kisame or Itachi during the day. Deidara had told them that they had some business to attend to, but that Itachi would return earlier so she could work on his eyes. She was quite shocked actually when Deidara had told her that Itachi had gone to her to work on his eyes, but she hadn't woken up during the night, and neither did Itachi wake her. Her only conclusion was that he had let her sleep.

_Perhaps there's a softer side to Uchiha Itachi, deep down…_

She shook her head violently, as if she tried to remove those thoughts from her head by shaking.

_There's no way that Itachi has a softer side. The man killed his entire clan, ruined Sasuke-kun's life, and he's a huge pain in the rear!_

As Inner Sakura agreed with her, she could hear a movement behind her. Without even turning around, she knew Itachi had just entered the room, and wanted her to know that. If he didn't want her to know, he would have used his unique talent to sneak around without somebody hearing him.

"Your chakra has restored," Itachi commented smoothly. Without even turning around, Sakura nodded slightly. Itachi seemed pleased with this answer.

"We'll start now," Itachi said quietly, trying to hide his excitement. "I'm tired of waiting."

Sakura nodded again, before turning around, now facing Itachi completely. She saw he had discarded his Akatsuki robes and he was only clad in his mesh shirt and his dark pants. As she followed the sleek contours of his body, she remembered how it felt when that body was pressed up against hers.

_No that again Sakura. You're in love with Sasuke-kun remember, not his brother._

She sighed heavily, signaling Itachi to sit down on a chair. He sat down, looking at her expectedly as she sat down in front of him on the bed. She brushed her stray bangs of hair from her eyes, and started to mold chakra as she raised her arm to meet his eyes. He closed them as her fingertips brushed over his eye, and she could feel the softness of his lashes against her skin.

She started to mold chakra, gently pressing against his eyelids as she started the healing process. It took her four hours to completely restore his eyes. As he tentatively opened his eyes, adjusting to the sharp sight, he couldn't hide the excitement that his vision had returned, better than ever.

"Your eyes will deteriorate in time again, I can't heal the completely. You'll have to see a medic once a year," Sakura explained. "Now that I've healed your eyes, will you let me go?" She watched as a small smirk formed around his perfect lips.

"To Sasuke," he said, almost like a question.

"To Sasuke," she confirmed boldly. Sakura watched him as he stood up and watched like a hawk. He opened his eyes, which were black again and stared at her directly, still the smirk now missing.

"You are annoying, Sakura-san," he said in response, before he walked out of the room.

"_You really are annoying."_

She choked, as she grabbed a pillow from her bed, throwing it with all her might to the closing door. His voice, his looks, even the way he talked reminded her of him.

"_The four of us did lots of things together, but my heart decided to chose revenge in the end."_

He left her six years ago, but she could remember everything about him, from his raven black hair, to his deep voice. She could remember everything he had said to her, all the things he had taught her. Even after Sai had entered her team, as a replacement of Sasuke, the real third member of Team Kakashi, of Team 7… It would always be Sasuke.

If not, Team Kakashi wouldn't exist. It would have stopped when Sasuke left Konoha that day.

She felt guilty. She had told him that she loved him, yet here she was, enjoying his brothers company. She loved Sasuke. No, scrap that; she still loved him. She would always love him. But would he ever love her back? Would he ever kiss her like Itachi had? Would he even remember her, Naruto or even Kakashi?

It was six years since she last saw him… Who knows how much he had changed in the meanwhile? Would he still be thinking of revenge…?

"_That's my purpose in life."_

No. She shouldn't worry about him. Sasuke was strong, he would still be the old Sasuke, yet stronger because of Orochimaru's training. He would remember her; he would definitely remember Naruto and Kakashi. He would still be Sasuke, their third member.

She released a breath that she wasn't aware she was holding before forcing herself to smile.

_Itachi's eyes are healed, I'll be out of here in no time, and I'll come for you Sasuke-kun; I'll come to see you. What's a few more days compared to six years?_

Two knocks on her door woke her up from her reverie.

"Sakura-chan? You in there?" Deidara's voice sounded.

"Yes I am Deidara, come in!" she called back as she wiped away the stray tears on her cheeks. As Deidara opened the door and peeked inside, he saw Sakura sitting on the bed, smiling at him, even though he could instantly see she had been crying. It wasn't in his character though to ask Sakura about it. He had learned that if she wanted to talk, she would open up to him, there was no need in forcing her.

As he sat down next to her, scanning her room, he saw a picture on her nightstand. Curiously, he bent forward to pick up the picture before he noticed Sakura's look. She sat that, stiff as a board, looking wide-eyed at his hand which was stretching out to grab the photograph.

Within a second, his hand shot back to his lap. He scanned her features to see if she was relaxing or not, and when she finally relaxed, he thought about his words carefully, before he stared directly into her eyes.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan… I didn't mean to… Well, you know," he stammered slightly, falling off his cool image. He didn't care about his reputation though, knowing that Sakura would never laugh at him for his lousy attempt to apologize.

He watched her as she grabbed the photograph off her nightstand, caressing the frame slightly as she stared at the picture. She passed it to him after a while, and he reluctantly accepted as he faintly wondered if it was okay for him to see her personal stuff. He didn't look at the photograph and scanned her face to see approval before lowering his gaze to see the four people in the picture.

He knew the top one; it was Hatake Kakashi, the infamous Copy-Nin. Only an idiot wouldn't be able to recognize his one eye, his dark blue mask and his silver mane. His hands rested on the heads of two boys; one was blond, he recognized him easily as the kyuubi. The other one looked slightly cocky and irritated. His raven black hair and his looks reminded him of Itachi, and he instantly knew that this was the boy Sakura was chasing—Uchiha Sasuke.

He felt a slight pang in his gut, instantly realizing that Sakura was crying for him. His eyes wandered over the features of the boy, faintly realizing that he really looked like Itachi, except for his significantly shorter hair and the lines on his face. Itachi looked far more controlled though. But even if it was just a picture he was holding in his hands of the boy, he could understand why she loved Sasuke. The boy had a certain aura around him, he could feel it. Like Itachi's, it would be the urge to become stronger, the fact that he was strong enough to protect her.

He probably made sure that she felt safe in his care too.

He sighed softly before moving down to the last person on the picture. She was six years younger there, with longer hair and a different outfit, yet he could still recognize her. Her pink hair was unmistakable. Deidara smiled as he saw the twelve year old Sakura smiling at him—a smile he had never seen on her face until that moment.

A smile she probably saved for _him_.

He faked a smile as he returned the picture to her. She smiled as well, not as bright as the smile on the picture though, he noted.

"We took that picture after our three-man teams were chosen. I was really happy to be teamed up with Sasuke-kun," she smiled. "Yet, I was less happy to know that Naruto was teamed up with me and after that, that my teacher was a lazy bum."

Deidara grinned. He had heard of Kakashi's aloof and distant nature, but also of his laziness that found its way to the outside world when he wasn't on a mission.

"But," Sakura continued. "After a while, I got attached to both of them, more then I could ever say. I loved Sasuke-kun more then ever, and Naruto also found his way to my heart. But after the chuunin exam, and Orochimaru, Sasuke started to change, and Team 7 was changing. It never became the same as before, the teamwork was lost, and after Sasuke left Konoha, and Naruto left with Jiraiya, I was left alone."

He nodded as a sign that he understood. He knew what had happened from that moment on. She had trained with the Fifth Hokage for three years, until Naruto came back. Yet neither one of them had become strong enough to attack Orochimaru straight on, dealing with his Sound nins and Kabuto. That's why Sakura left. She could never get to Sasuke if she had to fight against Orochimaru, so she would join them as a medic nin.

He never knew Orochimaru that well. Orochimaru had been paired up with Zetsu during his time in Akatsuki. He was a great addition to Akatsuki though, being one of the sannin, but his ambitions to become immortal made him leave Akatsuki, granting him a place on the list of the traitors of Akatsuki, which had always been empty until that day.

Deidara had been in Akatsuki for a few years now, yet he still had a few Akatsuki members to meet. At the moment, he only knew Sasori, Kisame, Itachi and Zetsu. He heard the other's voices during their meetings, but never met them face to face. Their leader apparently thought that they wouldn't have to meet. Not that he disagreed with that statement. As far as he could make out, the only ones who had a few brains left in their heads were definitely Itachi and Sasori. Kisame too, even if he wasn't the brightest fish in sea. Zetsu kind of spooked him with his weird looks, but he had never talked to him, just watched him from a distance.

"Sakura, can I ask you something… yeah?" Deidara started.

"Sure Deidara-san," she responded.

"What's your purpose in life?" he asked simply.

"_That's my purpose in life."_

Again. His words never left her, his farewell words. She had stored them in the back of her mind, acting like he never left her. But now, two people on the same day asked her the things he had answered already, years ago. It was hard to feel his words thrown back at her. In her mind's eye, she could still see the last grin she ever saw on his face.

"_You really are… annoying."_

"My… My purpose?" she stammered, trying to regain her composure.

"What do you want out of life? Is it just Sasuke? You just want to be with Itachi's brother?" he asked softly, meeting her eyes.

"I… I always wanted to be with Sasuke-kun. It had always been my dream to marry him. But I don't just want that out of life. I won't deny that I still want a family with Sasuke-kun, but I want to be like Tsunade-shisou," she answered quietly. "I want to become a top medic… I don't want to be left behind, to see only their backs when they're fighting."

Deidara nodded, knowing what she had meant. Naruto and Sasuke were always stronger than her, always protecting her. Iname was the same; she tried to break free from Deidara's protection… And died.

"Mine's revenge… yeah," he said quietly. Sakura's head snapped up at this statement. She knew Deidara had left Stone without even committing a serious crime, and she had wondered why he left. Was it because of revenge?

"Revenge?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes. The only person I could trust in Stone, the one I could talk to… She was killed by shinobi from Sand. That's why I entered Akatsuki… That's why I asked if I could go to Sand," Deidara answered, feeling slightly uncomfortable to talk to her about his past. "I wanted a crack at the shukaku. I wanted to let everybody in Sand feel how I felt when she was taken away from me… yeah"

"She?" Sakura asked quietly.

"My little sister; Iname," Deidara replied.

"But you didn't succeed… Gaara is still alive."

"I know. Perhaps wanting revenge is stupid; one might even say it's stupid," Deidara sighed. "But I can understand why Itachi's little brother wants revenge. It would be the logical thing to do. If my brother had killed my clan… I would want revenge too. Somebody who has had a real family… Real friends… People like you wouldn't understand how it feels to lose everybody... yeah"

"_I'm different from you guys… I walk a different path than you do. I can't become like you and Naruto."_

"But, when you lose friends, isn't it the same?" Sakura asked, trying to bite back the tears that stung in the corners of her eyes as the raven black boy in her memories turned around and grinned at her.

"I wouldn't know," Deidara answered simply. "I never had friends. Everybody in Akatsuki that I know is the same. Itachi never had friends because of his solidarity. Salmon never had friends because of his looks. Sasori just spooked everybody away that came close."

Sakura's sea-foam green eyes widened slightly as she thought about Itachi as a younger boy. She always imagined him to be alone, just like Sasuke. Now that she thought about it, they were similar. They were both alone, both geniuses and both had ambitions. Sasuke wanted revenge, while Itachi wanted to get stronger.

"Revenge isn't the answer to things," Sakura said softly.

"It isn't… But it really helps to vent out your frustration… yeah," Deidara confirmed. Noticing Sakura's slightly widened eyes at this statement, he continued explaining. "When something happens, people want to blame others; people want to hurt the other person. Even if that person is innocent… You just want to vent out your frustration, no matter how high the price should be."

Sakura nodded, knowing Deidara was right. No matter what happened, whether an accident or murder, people always felt the need to blame somebody else—or themselves. She had done exactly the same thing when Sasuke left.

_If only I took Naruto with me to see Sasuke. If only I had woken up Kakashi-sensei. If only I could have stopped him…_

"Yes, I understand your point…" Sakura answered. She smiled as Deidara stood up and said goodbye before walking out of the room. He certainly had given her some things to think about. She never gave revenge that much thought. Lee told her that he viewed the world in two parts; you can have grudges, or you can't. If you hold a grudge against somebody, it'll consume you as you try to have your revenge. On the other hand, if you don't hold a grudge against anybody, you can keep on living your own life, without holding out or having regrets.

She always thought it would be easy to thrown away your grudges for someone, but now that she had talked to Deidara, she could understand the feelings of those who wanted revenge. Why it would be so hard to let go…

"_Why do I have to tell you anything?"_

She finally understood why he hadn't told her anything.

_I wouldn't have understood him… Because I didn't understand at the time, what it means to hate somebody… What it means to want revenge._

---------------------

"So this is where the missing nin Haruno Sakura is, eh?" a Rain ANBU whispered to his colleague as he sneaked closed to the hotel.

"Yes, she's supposed to be brought back to Konoha alive… And since Rain is having financial problems, this will bring in a lot of money," the other one whispered back.

"Let's go then," the first one said, before standing up, his dark hair camouflaged in the darkness. A lone, light blue eye pierced through the darkness as he smirked, disappearing in a flash; his partner following him.

----------------------

Deidara left a couple of hours ago, but she swore it was minutes before Kisame knocked on the door, rapping his knuckles on the wood, before telling her that dinner was ready. She could hear his light footsteps on the floor retreating, wondering how a man that large could make so little sound. Shaking her head, she sat up straight, brushing through her hair with her fingers.

_I've got to buy myself a hair brush somewhere._

She stood up as soon as she felt Itachi in the vicinity, knowing that he would come to get her. As soon as she jogged around the bed, he already stood in the door opening. He nodded at her before calmly walking towards his backpack, fetching a wallet.

He noticed Sakura's stare and looked up for a while, shocking Sakura. His gaze was cold, as cold as a rock, now even more then before, she couldn't read him. It was like the man that showed himself during their kiss buried himself deeper and deeper inside Itachi, showing only this man; a ruthless killer without emotions.

Knowing that she was still staring at him, she tried to break the uncomfortable pause.

"Why do you need your wallet?" she asked hoarsely, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. She remained silent as he straightened himself, walking back towards the door.

"I need to pay the delivery man, what else?" Itachi answered coldly, before disappearing as soon as he came. She watched how the door slightly creaked as he left, lost in thought. Unconsciously, she touched her lips, craving the heat of somebody's lips against hers.

She had always thought that Sasuke would give her, her first kiss. She had imagined it many ways; but never like the kiss that Itachi had given her. It happened a day ago, yet she could still feel the tingling in her body as she thought about it—which happened a lot.

_Sakura, get over it. He just did it to silence you. It didn't mean anything to him, neither to you. You're in love with Sasuke right? That's why you're doing this._

She sighed before throwing the Akatsuki robes around her shoulders and walked out of the room, her heart filled with excitement that this might be the last day she'd have to spend with Itachi before going to Sasuke. Itachi had no more use for her; he would surely let her go.

She was going to miss a few things though. Deidara's conversations and jokes, Kisame's rough exterior and the way he turned into a fun loving guy whenever Deidara was around. Even if she wouldn't admit it; she would even miss Itachi.

His blood red sharingan eyes were a reminder of her mission, and somehow comforted her, even if he was a renegade killer, completely different from Sasuke.

She smiled slightly as she walked into Deidara's room; knowing that this might be the last 'traditional Akatsuki dinner' she'd experience before leaving.

"Yo," she said, raising her hand slightly in an imitation of Kakashi. Deidara grinned at her and greeted with a 'Yo' back, while Kisame just grinned and Itachi looked in the other direction. She sat down next to Deidara, which was her favorite spot as Kisame and Itachi always discussed the things they did during their missions and never paid much attention to her during the first ten minutes.

This time though, Kisame didn't say a word against Itachi, and instead picked up a tray of food which was filled with fish.

"I told you so… yeah," Deidara smirked. "Whenever Itachi orders, it's _always_ healthy."

She chuckled slightly as Deidara passed her the rice balls, picking up a few. Automatically, she broke off a small part, before throwing it in the water, testing for poison. It was a ritual. First, she'd go to either Deidara's room or Kisame's room for food, they'd greet each other before sitting down to eat. Kisame would report to Itachi, while Itachi would sit still and nod occasionally. As soon as all the food was unpacked, they'd all break off bits of their food, testing for poison.

She felt slightly sad that she'd have to leave them soon. Deidara was becoming a good friend, somebody she could talk to. Kisame was a nice guy after you get to learn a bit about him and Itachi… Itachi was the unpredictable one, the mysterious one. Just when you thought you'd understand his actions and thought patterns, he'd do something else to throw you off guard again.

She slightly shook her head, wanting to enjoy this dinner instead of spacing off. She heard Deidara roar with laughter as Kisame accidentally dropped some sushi in the soy sauce, spilling it all over his robes. Kisame swore loudly, making Deidara laugh even harder. She chuckled and at that precise moment, she swore she heard a snort from Itachi. Deidara apparently heard the same thing, as he turned to Itachi in shock.

"Itachi! You laughed just now?" Deidara asked incredulously. "You heard that, didn't you Salmon-chan! Even Itachi thinks you're funny… yeah!"

Sakura fell into a fit of laughter as soon as she saw Kisame spouting out some foul language while he glared at Deidara. Deidara didn't seem to notice though, as he tried to control his laughter. Just as he reduced his laughter to a mere grin, Kisame stood up roughly, accidentally throwing more soy sauce over his robes.

"God damnit!" Kisame swore loudly as he gritted his teeth. He murmured something under his breath to Itachi, before throwing off his robes. He stalked off to the bathroom, and Sakura swore that Kisame had said something that included; "never getting these stains out."

Deidara kept cracking jokes during the entire dinner, and just as Kisame returned, Itachi silenced them all by activating the sharingan, staring directly at Kisame.

"It's just Salmon-chan Itachi, calm down," Deidara said, surprised as Itachi stood up.

"Genjutsu," Itachi answered smoothly. "Get the kunoichi out of here."

_Kunoichi? What happened to "Sakura-san"?_

Deidara nodded as he held out his hand, signaling Sakura to grab on to him, but before he could even open his mouth to ask where the real Kisame was, another nin stood behind him, holding a kunai to his neck.

"Haruno Sakura," the fake Kisame grinned as he stared at Sakura. "You're coming with us."

**--------------------------**

_**A/N: **Leave it to me to make it another cliffhanger! Well, this chapter wasn't action filled, or very romantic, but I just needed to put in some Sasuke action, and those two Rain nins do have some significance. They're not just here as a filler, haha. It was a pretty sad chapter though, I just needed a chapter to remind everybody of her mission, and I thought this'd be the best way to do it._

_I also apologize if you had been expecting more Itachi and Sakura action during the healing process, but Itachi was still angered because of the entire 'Thanks… Sasuke-kun' of the previous night, so it didn't seem like a good idea to let him make his move on her today._

_Gah, I've gotten SO many reviews of everybody, asking where the hell Sasuke is, and if he's going to be in this story! All I can say about the Sasuke matter; don't be impatient. For now, he's just a memory, as Sakura hasn't reached Sound yet. I'm really sorry for everybody who's asking for an ItaSakuSasu triangle, but like I've mentioned earlier; it's an ItaSakuDei triangle, which means that Sasuke will not be chasing after Sakura in any way. I can't say anything more though, it would be huge spoilers for the remains of the story._

_I know that Itachi's still being a cold bastard, but what do you expect; he isn't going to change in the two chapters that he kissed her. And as you might have guessed, I think Itachi's slightly jealous, haha._

_I still hope you liked this chapter (which was longer than all the others), and I'll see you all next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi._


	10. Chapter 10

**Metamorphosis – An Itachi & Sakura story.  
By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/n: **This chapter is dedicated to one of my friends, and most loyal readers; blackbloodedkunoichi! Hope you like it!_

**Chapter Ten – Konoha's Mission Commences!**

"Me?" Sakura asked stupefied, staring at the dark-haired man in front of her. He had stunning light blue eyes, which were a huge contrast to his dark hair. A smirk played around his lips as he lowered the kunai further, until the tip touched Deidara's neck. Sakura's gaze switched to Deidara as he gritted his teeth, glaring at the man who held the kunai to his neck.

"Itachi, where's Kisame?" he asked, changing back to his serious side.

"Still in the bathroom," Itachi answered smoothly. If he felt any emotion at that moment, he was really good at hiding it. Sakura stared at him as she tried to uncover the secret to his poker face. Whoever these nins were, they were no match for three Akatsuki members. But the fact that one of them was holding a kunai against Deidara's throat wasn't a good thing, not at all.

"You know, I'm getting slightly pissed off here… yeah," Deidara said suddenly, breaking the silence as he turned around to see his enemy.

"I agree, let's end this soon," Itachi answered darkly. Sakura watched in awe as the red of the sharingan bled into his eyes.

"Fools, do you honestly believe that you can win from us? We're top Hunter nins from Mist!"

"Mist eh? So that's why you impersonated Hoshigaki… yeah," Deidara answered as he glanced through the room. "And you're here, with just two hunter nin?"

"Of course, Haruno poses no threat to us, and you are probably all some low-class nins who joined her," the other one grinned. He released the jutsu, turning back into a brown haired nin, whose face was covered with an ANBU mask.

"You heard that Itachi? We're low class nins, they probably think we're genin or something… yeah," Deidara chuckled. "They don't even notice your sharingan."

"S-Sharingan? But you mean that… You're an Uchiha!" the masked Hunter nin asked incredulously.

"Correct," Itachi answered, before turning around. "Deidara, Kisame."

In a flash, Deidara had turned around and kicked the dark-haired nin towards the wall. His hand shot into his Akatsuki robe, pulling out some clay. From another door, Kisame stormed in, holding the Samehada in his hand as he dashed towards the dark-haired nin. Sakura whirled around to check how Itachi was doing, when she noticed he was gone. Apparently, the nin had noticed too, and glanced around the room in search of Itachi.

Itachi re-appeared in front of him, burying his fist in his stomach, which sent him flying through the room, slamming into another wall.

"What the…" Deidara's voice came. Sakura turned around to see him staring at the wall where he just threw the nin at. "He's gone… yeah." Next to him, Kisame spouted out some foul language, before scanning the room.

"I thought so. It seems they know our specialty," Itachi said quietly.

"Specialty?" Sakura asked, surprise in her tone.

"All Akatsuki members are taught our special technique when enrolling in Akatsuki. We can use a percentage of our chakra to make another body, exactly like ours; almost like a replica, only this one can fight without disappearing. Until the amount of extra chakra in the replication is depleted," Kisame hastily explained.

"Yeah, and these guys know it… yeah. Look here," Deidara said as he pointed at two men appearing on the ground. "Their sacrifices."

"They aren't far away, I can still sense them," Kisame said suddenly. "Should I go after them, Itachi-san?"

"No," Itachi answered smoothly. "We will wait until they strike again. Now that they know I'm part of this little entourage, and Kisame is too, they will come at us more prepared next time."

"What makes you think so?" Sakura asked curiously. "They might still think you're an easy opponent."

"They won't. Kisame is known in Mist, and so am I," he answered. "Do not underestimate your opponent, Sakura-san."

"Salmon, Itachi," Deidara interrupted. "Hunter nins are in the vicinity… yeah"

"I know," Kisame growled, gripping his Samehada.

"Deidara, you take care of the kunoichi," Itachi started. "Kisame and I will-"

"I'll fight too," Sakura interrupted, ignoring Itachi's orders. "I'm not weak Itachi-san. The three of you can't always protect me from the hunter nins."

"Then let's go kunoichi, we don't have all day," Kisame said, excitement in his tone. "She's right, Itachi-san, let her have some action as well." As soon as he said this, Deidara stepped forward. His eyes were narrowed, his hands were fists, and as soon as he spoke, Sakura could hear the anger evident in his voice.

"Are you suggesting, Itachi-san, Kisame," he said in a controlled voice, although his eyes and hands gave him away. "That we should let Sakura fight? There's a small army of Hunter nin outside!"

Shocked, Sakura looked at Deidara. She would have never believed it if she wouldn't have seen it first. Deidara was trying to stop her, trying to keep her out of harm's way. What was he thinking? Did he think she was weak? Even after everything they talked about?

"I'm perfectly clear to make my own decisions, Deidara-_san_, and I don't need your approval," Sakura answered coldly, angered that he had so little faith in her. "After all, I'm a jounin, not a genin. They are chasing me, so I should be fighting here. Now, let's go."

Kisame grinned widely as she stalked out of the room, a kunai in her hand as she formed the seals for a Replacement jutsu. Itachi just watched her go, before disappearing into thin air. Kisame followed soon after he signaled Deidara to follow them.

Deidara stood alone in the chamber, gritting his teeth as he pulled out some clay and decided to keep an eye on Sakura. She couldn't die. She wouldn't die. He would make sure of it.

--------------------------

As the sun started to set in the Hidden Village of Leaf, eight people walked through the village. Some mentally saying goodbye to the buildings they always visited, the large faces of the Hokage's gracing the mountain, Ichiraku, and the memorial.

Kakashi, Naruto, Kiba, Neji and Genma were dressed in their ANBU costumes; their masks dangling around their necks. Black, swirled tattoos graced their arms. Shikamaru, Lee and Gai were dressed in their usual Jounin outfits. Neither of them had ever made it to ANBU, and they were content with that.

As the gate of Konoha came into view, several people stood there; watching them. Hinata, Ino, Chouji and Iruka were part of the group. Several meters further, Raidou stood there too, together with Shizune, Kurenai and Asuma. They waved ever so slightly as the team neared them. Genma split up from the group with a small wave of his hand, appearing next to Raidou in a second, talking to his friend. Naruto grinned slightly as he made his way to Iruka. Kiba ran next to him, enthusiastically hugging Chouji, who had become a good friend of his, before moving to Hinata, giving her a gentle hug as well.

Ino stepped forward slightly; her hands fell lightly to her sides as she made her way to Shikamaru and Chouji. Several meters further, Kurenai and Asuma were talking to Kakashi, who had his hands in his pockets as usual, giving them the casual look. Gai, Neji and Lee stayed together. Since Tenten was gone, nobody would say goodbye to them. As Lee and Neji started a conversation, a very nervous Hinata shuffled towards Neji.

"Ah… Neji-niisan," she stuttered nervously, biting her lip as she held a small jar of ointment in her hands. She looked down as Neji turned around, giving her his complete attention.

"T-This is for you," Hinata spoke quietly as she trashed her arms forward, bowing slightly. Neji scanned the ointment, before moving over her face. As soon as he decided that she was being sincere, his eyes softened slightly, before taking the ointment; storing it into his bag.

"Thank you, Hinata-sama," Neji answered quietly. He didn't move as she shuffled away again, but he kept his eye on her. Ever since the Chuunin exam, he had tolerated the main Hyuuga family, but he still didn't trust any of them, afraid that they might attack his brains next. He sighed slightly, before turning around again, resuming his conversation with Lee.

A few feet next to them, Genma was giving Raidou a small hug, saying goodbye to his friend before moving further towards the gate. Naruto joined him too after waving goodbye to all of his friends. Next to arrive were Gai, Neji and Lee. Kiba and Shikamaru also stepped forward, joining the group. Kiba was laughing at Shikamaru, as Shikamaru was rubbing his cheek slightly, trying to remove the remains of Ino's farewell kiss as he tried to look irritated. The agitated look on his face was soon replaced with a smile as Ino started to cry slightly.

He waved at her, before turning around, trying to stop himself from looking too soft. Kiba grinned, hugging Akamaru lovingly. He wasn't allowed to take Akamaru with him. The mission required stealth and the ability to go unnoticed into the Hidden Village of Sound. If Akamaru would go with them, they would be spotted in no time and they would be ambushed. It was the first time that Kiba went on a mission with Akamaru, and it was hard to say goodbye to his partner. A few teardrops left his eyes as he ruffled Akamaru's fur in a spur of affection.

"See you later, Akamaru," he whispered affectionately, before turning around, joining the other members of his team. He turned around once to wave at Akamaru, and the second they left the village gates, they were gone.

"I hope they'll be successful this time," Ino whispered slightly as she wiped away the remains of her salty tears on her cheek. She smiled at Chouji, who still had his gaze fixed on the gate.

"Don't worry. As long as Shikamaru is with them, they'll be alright. Besides, they are all capable ninja's, they'll be fine," Chouji said, smiling as he turned around. "Let's go eat some barbecue meat!"

"Chouji! For once, think about something else then eating!" Ino yelled, half agitated, half laughing as they made their way to Chouji's favorite restaurant.

Behind them, Asuma, Shizune, Raidou and Kurenai snickered as they heard the banter from Ino and Chouji continuing. All four of them were scared; not only for their students, but for their friends as well. Even if Gai could be a pain in the behind at times with his 'youthful rivalry' with Kakashi. Kakashi was a friend of all of them as well; they had supported him during his rough period after the death of Obito; the yondaime and Rin soon following. And there was Genma, good old Genma, who could be serious yet chivalrous at the same time.

They all knew what this mission entitled, and held in their breaths as soon as they heard who were issued to go, but they trusted every last member of the team, and knew that the Fifth had made a wise decision to let them go.

Her last order had worried them slightly though, it wasn't an uncommon thing that the mission would be sooner then expected, but they'd never expected it to be moved up one week. Kurenai turned around slightly, looking at the wide open gates, staring at the leafs as the wind moved them. Chouji was right. As long as these eight capable ninja would go to rescue Sasuke and Sakura, everything would be alright.

All they could do at the time was to have faith in every single one of them.

--------------------------

"Okay, perhaps we miscounted," Kisame grinned slightly as soon as he stepped outside the hotel. The entrance was surrounded with ANBU members. Their white tops, tattoos and masks revealed their identities. Forty ANBU members or so were scattered; some holding a kunai in their hands, while others held shurikens or nothing at all. They were all silent and just watched as Sakura first left the building, followed by Kisame and Itachi, and finally Deidara.

"Oh no Salmon-chan, you don't say," Deidara sarcastically remarked. Sakura stood next to him, amazed how Deidara could change from a light-hearted, crazy guy, to the serious, sarcastic Deidara standing next to her. She also noticed that he was aggravated. Faintly, she wondered if she was the cause of his mood swing, or the Hunter nins. She watched as Kisame and Itachi walked further towards the nins, leaving Deidara and Sakura alone.

"You know, I knew that they would send out shinobi to capture me after I left Konoha," Sakura said softly. "I just never imagined that they would send out entire squads."

Deidara's eyes slowly softened as he heard her talk. She was right, she was a missing nin now and she would have to fight every Hunter nin off her back. It was difficult though, to fight against your former team, or even your fellow shinobi. Silently cursing himself for acting like a jerk, he hesitantly lifted his hands, putting it on her shoulder in a spur of affection. Sakura turned around, her sea-foam green eyes widened at the contact, as she tried to read the look in Deidara's eyes.

He knew she was expecting him to say something, but he didn't know what to say. He watched as she bit her lip softly, still waiting for Deidara to say something. In an agonizing slow pace, Sakura proceeded to moisten her lips with the tip of her tongue. That's when he felt his control slipping away until it was banished into a far corner of his mind, and he did precisely what he shouldn't have done.

He grabbed her shoulders while turning her around. The surprise on her face was evident, but he didn't pay any attention as he moved forward and captured her lips with his own.

The kiss was chaste, gentle and lingering. Deidara could faintly taste the cherry balm she used on her lips before he backed off to see her reaction. It was just like he had thought it would be; she was shocked. Her eyes were widened, her lips slightly parted.

He could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't angry with him, just shocked. He remained silent for a little while longer, weighing the consequences of the decisions he could make. Lost in the sea-foam color of her eyes, he made his decision and removed his hands from her shoulders.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, I don't know what came over me… yeah," Deidara apologized as he averted his eyes from hers.

"Let's go." Deidara turned around without even a second glance at Sakura and flashed out of her sights within seconds.

_What was that all about?_

She silently shook her head and concentrated on focusing her chakra to her feet, giving her more speed as she tried to catch up with the Akatsuki members. It didn't take long for her to get there though. The battle had already begun, she could tell because several ANBU members were lying lifeless on the ground.

She landed swiftly and before she could turn around to see where Itachi, Kisame and Deidara were, a kunai was thrown at her, followed by a kick in her stomach. The air escaped her lungs as she was punched in the gut, followed by an uppercut. Sakura felt her strength leave her as the hands of the unknown ANBU member left hers.

_Damn… He's draining my chakra whenever he hits me…_

Gritting her teeth, she drew chakra to her hand, releasing the inhuman strength punch that Tsunade had taught her. The ANBU member blocked it, yet the immense power of her punch knocked him off his feet. She quickly stood up as the ANBU members tried to regain his composure, shrugging off any dust.

"Impressive. I wouldn't have expected anything different from a student of the Fifth," the ANBU member sneered from behind his mask.

"You know about me?" Sakura asked as she crouched down in her battle position. "What's your name?"

He snorted, before discarding his mask. His dark hair and light blue eyes were unmistakable. It was the Mist nin from before. He grinned before mimicking Sakura's movement, crouching down as well.

"The name is Tooya," he replied. "I'll tell you the last name when I die."

"Charming," Sakura remarked sarcastically, before she formed the seals to activate one of her medical jutsu. Tooya stood there quietly, not moving an inch, as if he waited for her. As she completed her jutsu, she threw one of her shuriken towards him, trying to distract him. She jumped up, waiting for him to make his move, but the shuriken hit the target. Sakura gasped as she realized that he had used a Replacement technique, and frantically searched the ground for any signs of the Mist nin.

She felt him re-appear behind him, and just as she tried to strike him down, his hands grabbed her wrists in a firm grasp. She could almost feel the smirk on his lips as his hot breath caressed her ear.

"I'm not interested in fighting that Uchiha, or a fight with Hoshigaki," he grinned before continuing. "I hope we'll meet again, Haruno-san."

And just like that, Tooya disappeared into thin air. Sakura landed on her feet quietly, trying to search the vicinity for any more ANBU members before Kisame's form stepped out of the bushes.

"Eighteen," Kisame said, as he grinned, showing his sharp teeth. He caught her look of confusion and chuckled. "We always play a game to see who killed most shinobi. I got eighteen"

"Twenty-seven," Itachi's smooth voice came from behind Sakura. She turned around quickly, to see Itachi standing there, looking almost unfazed. Kisame cursed slightly before turning around.

"Let's get going," he grumbled, apparently still aggravated that he had lost their little game.

Itachi nodded before he took a few steps towards Kisame. He turned around to see Sakura standing still, exactly where he had found her. Cocking his head slightly, he stared at her, trying to figure out why she was quiet all of the sudden.

"Is there something wrong, Sakura-san?" Itachi questioned her; the impassive look in his eyes never left. Her head shot up in amazement; Uchiha Itachi just asked her if everything was alright?

_Okay, whatever Deidara had for lunch, Itachi probably shared it with him, he is acting out of character._

"Nothing's the matter Itachi-san," she smirked slightly as she tried to find a weak point in his system. "Why do you ask?"

His face never changed and he retained his poker face during the short pause that entered their conversation.

"I have no need for shinobi who freeze whenever this kind of thing happens," he answered coldly. Itachi turned around and joined with Kisame, obviously waiting for her to come with them.

"Where's Deidara?" Sakura asked as she swirled around, trying to find her friend. She felt uncomfortable after that kiss, and he probably did too. Sakura just wanted to clear the air with him; Deidara was her best friend at the moment, and losing him as a companion would be a huge loss.

"Gone," Kisame answered. "He's gone to Sasori, claiming he had a mission. I reckon he has had enough of us for a couple of days."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked confusedly.

"Deidara isn't used to being hunt at. That, together with the fact that that mouth on his hand drains his chakra at the same speed as my Samehada does increases his chances of dying," Kisame replied off-handedly.

"Why does the mouth on his hand draw that much chakra?" she asked quietly, wanting to know more about Deidara's medical conditions.

"I don't know, I don't have a bloodline limit," Kisame shrugged. "Itachi-san knows more about bloodline limits then I do."

"That mouth is a bloodline limit?" Sakura asked incredulously. "He never told me."

Itachi, who had ignored the entire conversation, turned around to face the both of them.

"If we want to go, we should go now," he said smoothly. Sakura and Kisame nodded, following obediently as Itachi led the way to their new destination; Grass.

-----------------------

"Home at last… yeah," Deidara sighed as he kicked the wooden door open. His home was located deep in a forest near Cloud, and nobody had ever discovered him there. He glanced at his clock. Three more hours before Sasori would come and they would discuss their plans. Sighing again, he ripped off his Stone forehead protector and threw it on one of the chairs, undressing from his Akatsuki robes as well.

These past couple of weeks were crazy and he was acting out of character. All because of Sakura. Unconsciously, his fingertips touched his lips as he remembered the softness and warmth that radiated from her lips. She tasted like cherries, like he had expected her to.

He groaned as he tried to remove the images of Sakura out of his system and undressed as he made his way to his bathtub. As soon as the tub was filled with the warm water, he discarded his last pieces of clothing and slid into the tub, letting out another sigh, this time of satisfaction.

_Itachi and Salmon always pick out hotels without bathtubs. I'm Akatsuki, not a dog. I need a bath; showers get on my nerves gradually._

Placing his arms on each side of the tub, he relaxed slightly, allowing his head to drop down slightly. His bloodline limit had taken its toll and his chakra was depleted to a minimum after their last fight. He had excused himself from Kisame and Itachi right after, telling them about his mission. He hadn't been looking forward to go on a mission with Sasori, but it was a requirement from him to stay with his teammate during missions.

Nevertheless, the mission would be a pleasant distraction from a certain pink-haired kunoichi whose heart belonged to a dark-haired Uchiha. Who had willingly betrayed his village for the likes of Orochimaru. Deidara snorted as he remembered Orochimaru. It was a year after his entrance into Akatsuki that Orochimaru had left, yet he would never forget the look on Sasori's face when he found out that his teammate split, and that he was going to be paired up with Deidara; another art lover.

Initially, he loved having somebody to talk with; but when he found out that Deidara liked the art of clay more than puppets, their usual interesting conversations turned into useless banter. Deidara let out another sigh before he pulled out his tie in his hair, letting it fall loosely around his face.

He noticed how his hair had grown quickly, now reaching his shoulder blades.

_Damn hair is getting too long._

He let out a groan of frustration as he remembered who else had hair that length. The only difference in their hair would be the fact that hers was pink, instead of his blond hair. Gritting his teeth, he sank further into the tub, demanding his mind to stop thinking about her.

_Damn hormones._

The last thing Deidara remembered before lulling off into a deep slumber was her distinct taste, and the warmth of her lips.

--------------

_**A/N: **Lots of Deidara x Sakura goodiness in this chapter huh? Don't worry, I know this is an ItaSaku story, hence why there's Itachi x Sakura smex in the next chapter. But since this is a love triangle, it's only right for Deidara to have some action as well, no?_

_I'm very sorry if the chapter bored you, I'm not very satisfied with it either._

_See you next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	11. Chapter 11

**Metamorphosis – An Itachi & Sakura story.  
By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/n: **At long last, a chapter that's fixating on the relationship of Itachi and Sakura, bet you were all waiting for this moment, huh? A chapter dedicated to all reviewers and readers, to thank you for all your support and sweet comments. Merry Christmas to everybody!_

**Chapter Eleven – Dangerous Circumstances**

A knock on his door woke him from his light slumber. Deidara shook out his blond hair, quickly realizing that he must have fallen asleep in his tub. Another knock on his door urged him to step out of his bath. He quickly put on a bathrobe, before getting some clay from his Akatsuki robes. Using his stealth, he crept up to the wooden door, peeking through a small hole.

The large Akatsuki robes veiled most of his appearance from Deidara's eyes, yet he instantly recognized the form of the man, and he opened up the door.

"Good afternoon, Sasori-sama," Deidara greeted, grinning lightly.

The man turned around, pulling off his straw hat. Sasori shook out his red hair before giving Deidara a glance.

"You're late again. I told you not to keep me waiting," Sasori sighed slightly, getting sick of Deidara's constant lateness whenever he had a mission to accomplish. His features remained poker faced though, as Deidara plastered a smile on his face.

"Fell asleep in the bathtub… yeah," Deidara grinned. Sasori nodded slightly, he knew that this was the closest that Deidara would ever come to apologizing. As Deidara's eyes roamed confusedly over his features, he gave him a weird look.

"What are you looking at?" Sasori said, slightly aggravated.

"Since when are you using your younger form to walk around?" Deidara asked; confusion in his tone. "I thought you always used one of your puppets. Mind you, you look much better this way… yeah."

Deidara snickered as he received one of Sasori's death glares, which looked strange and out of place on the angelic features that Sasori owned. Sasori sighed once more, a soft smile appearing on his lips.

"Are you going to invite me in, or should I wait longer?" Sasori asked, still smiling, but irritation was etched into his voice. Deidara's grin slightly faltered, as he stepped aside, letting Sasori into his house.

_Grumpy, are we? … Yeah._

"Wait just a little longer, I'll get dressed… yeah," Deidara chuckled, before stalking off to his bedroom, grabbing his unwashed clothes from the ground. He made a face before throwing them into a basket full of dirty clothing, making a mental note to himself to wash those clothes after the mission.

Closing his bedroom door behind him, he put the clay in his hand on his desk, before walking to his closet to find himself some Akatsuki clothes. He dressed himself quickly, before he walked back to his partner, who was waiting impatiently.

"I really hate it when you let me wait," Sasori said; slightly irritated.

"Being late is a form of art… yeah," Deidara answered, equally irritated.

"As usual, you don't have the slightest idea of true art," Sasori retorted heatedly. "Art is eternal beauty, something that is left in the future."

"As usual, you still don't grasp the concept that art can be many things," Deidara answered, his grin still plastered on his face. "As long as it's in that single, fleeting moment of explosion… yeah"

Sasori groaned softly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We are not going to fight over this again."

"Who's fighting?" Deidara retorted easily, enjoying their little banter. Obviously, Sasori had enough. He noticed that immediately when Sasori's sweet, angelic look changed to the look of pure anger.

"I trust you've heard about the mission?" Sasori replied, ignoring Deidara's last remark. "We are to capture the sanbi."

"And does Leader know that I've already captured one of the bijuu?" Deidara asked. "I already claimed mine, so we'd better chase this sanbi for your sake… yeah"

"Of course I told him," Sasori looked offended. "I don't slack off, like certain other members of our organization."

"Are you referring to me, Sasori-sama?"

"I believe I am," Sasori answered, smiling once more.

Now it was Deidara's turn to look offended as he stood up, closing his Akatsuki robes.

"Fine, who is the sanbi?" Deidara sighed.

Sasori grinned, knowing that he had won the battle between the two of them. He mimicked Deidara's movements and as he put his straw hat back on his reddish hair, he answered him.

"A Hunter nin from Mist; Tooya."

-----------------------

"Okay, your turn now Kisame," Sakura panted slightly as they ran through the forest that would lead them to the Hidden Village of Grass. Sakura and Kisame had been trying to kill time by asking each other questions about their likes and dislikes, while Itachi remained quiet during the entire journey, running several feet before them.

"Fine, the shinobi rank you dislike most," Kisame grinned, baring his razor sharp teeth.

"Chuunin," Sakura spat out. "I always got guard duty. I stayed a chuunin for about three years."

"Be glad," Kisame groaned. "I was a chuunin for six years, and just like you, I always got guard duty."

Sakura chuckled slightly, before fixing her attentions to the man who ran before them. "What about Itachi-san?"

Kisame shrugged. "I don't know; Itachi-san has never told me anything more about his past other then the fact that he had been a Leaf shinobi and killed his clan at the age of thirteen."

"I see," Sakura nodded understandingly. It seemed that Itachi really liked being alone, since he never tried to get close to anybody. At least, that's what she had heard from Deidara. Her eyes were downcast as she remembered the look on Deidara's face before he left. She should have said something, what if he never came to see her again? She didn't want to lose his friendship over one little kiss.

_Damn it Deidara… You have to return, or I'll royally kick your ass… yeah!_

She inwardly grinned as she realized that she was taking over Deidara's habit of using 'yeah'. Sakura was getting attached to Deidara. She wasn't completely sure if she even could grow to like him when she first met him in Stone, but he had grown on her; just like Naruto did.

_Naruto…_

Four weeks since she saw him and Konoha. Time had flown by and she couldn't believe how lucky she was to still be alive, and yet how unlucky she was to fall into the hands of the Akatsuki members, who delayed her reunion with Sasuke. On the other hand, she had made friends with Kisame and Deidara; perhaps even Itachi; even if his feelings for her would be in the dark for eternity.

Unconsciously, she touched her lips, remembering the feeling of his lips pressed against hers. It was the first time that anybody had ever kissed her. She had saved it up for Sasuke, but Itachi stole it. And Deidara stole her second one. Deidara's kiss was gentler though, while Itachi's was full of passion that she hadn't expected from a killer.

She really wanted for him to kiss her again.

_Hold on Sakura. Itachi is Sasuke's brother! Got that? Brother. Sasuke's. Off limits._

She made a fist, as if she tried to punch Itachi for being a stupid ass to kiss her. A chuckled came from her right, and disturbed, she turned her head to see Kisame grinning widely as he watched her movements.

"You really are interesting, kunoichi," Kisame chuckled slightly. He laughed out loud as he watched her face turn red from embarrassment and glanced at Itachi.

First Deidara enters the room where Itachi and Sakura were fighting, and he comes back without any color in his face, telling me that nothing's going on there. Then Sakura almost refuses to look at him, and when she accidentally glances at him, she's blushing. Then Deidara practically ran away as soon as he could, and Itachi-san suddenly got very angry during our battle with the Mist nin.

_I know I'm not one of the brightest, but really, it's obvious to anybody that something is going on between the three of them, and I'm getting sick of it._

A bright blue hue from his hand awoke him from his thoughts as he stared down at his ring. It was glowing – an indication that their Leader was calling him to his hideout.

"Itachi-san," he called out, stopping on a branch. Sakura stopped next to him before giving him a confused glance. Several feet before them, Itachi halted. He turned around; his face still in poker mode, yet light irritation was etched into his voice.

"What do you want Kisame?" he asked.

Kisame held up his hand as an indication that their Leader was calling him. Comprehension dawned on Itachi, as he nodded, checking his own ring.

"It seems that I'm not needed this time," Itachi said smoothly. "Go Kisame, he's calling. We will meet you in Grass."

Kisame nodded, before turning around. He raised his hand as a bid farewell to Sakura before disappearing. Confused, Sakura stared at the branch Kisame had been standing on, before turning towards Itachi.

"Let's go, Sakura-san," Itachi said after a short pause; the tone in his voice leaving no place for questions.

"But, what about Kisame?" she asked. It seemed that everybody who was nice and kind to her left her to be with the cold, poker faced man in front of her.

"He is gone for Akatsuki business, that's all you need to know," his cold reply came.

He turned around, apparently feeling that the subject needn't to be further discussed. But Sakura felt differently about that.

She sped towards him, halting next to him. The anger that she had bottled inside of her was on the verge of emerging. That feeling only intensified as he looked questionably at her, undoubtedly wanting an explanation for her rash and sudden behavior.

"It bothers you this much that Kisame and Deidara are gone?" Itachi asked smoothly.

"Of course it does, now I'm all alone with you," Sakura spat out.

To her chagrin, his poker face didn't change. On the contrary, he seemed amused with the entire situation. He straightened himself, as he turned around to face her completely.

"This bothers you?"

"Yes, at least when Kisame and Deidara are around, you behave yourself," she retorted, before clamping a hand over his mouth, sensing she had gone too far. She was right, to say the least. His eyes narrowed slightly, and the initial anger that had filled his eyes earlier returned.

"I don't need anybody to tell me how to behave Sakura-san," he answered, still in control of his voice. "Yet, if I have offended you in any way, I wish for you to tell me so."

A bluff, that's what it was. He knew she didn't want to bring the subject up, and he knew exactly what was bothering her. If she didn't respond, he would drop the subject and move further towards Grass. If she would blame him for kissing her, she would be a hypocrite for she had been kissing him back; but he would know that it bothered her.

Either way; she was screwed.

"Fine," she spat out. _And I don't care about the consequences._

"You kissed me!"

"The only intention I had was silencing you," he retorted, not missing a beat in their conversation.

"You could have done it another way," she pointed out angrily.

"You didn't listen," he replied smoothly.

"You stole my first kiss," she answered heatedly. Only after the words had left her lips, did she realize what she had said.

"You risk your life for my brother, who hasn't even kissed you yet?" Itachi answered coldly. "How very admirable."

"Don't mock me," Sakura hissed.

"I was merely complimenting you on your determination," Itachi answered as he stepped closer towards her, cupping her chin softly.

"D-Don't.. Itachi-san," she stammered as his face drew closer towards her. She could feel his warm breath caressing her skin. His arms circled around her waist, drawing her closer into his embrace. Shocked, she tried to back out of his arms, until she noticed that he wasn't going to her go.

His powerful hands fanned open against the small of her back, his warm fingers pressing against her gently. Her heart hammered in her chest as she felt his lips brush past hers lightly, before smothering her soft whimper with his mouth.

His kiss contained the passion and tenderness that she had experienced before, but the desire that entered the kiss was new to her, and not entirely unpleasant. As much as she would love to think that Sasuke would ever kiss her as passionately as Itachi could, she knew he wouldn't, so she enjoyed every little aspect of their kiss, hoping that it would last longer.

His coaxing mouth overwhelmed her as his lips nudged hers, demanding more intimate access. Passion shot through her veins, throbbing deliciously as she snaked her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him. She felt herself slipping more and more into the depths of desire as his smooth tongue strokes sensuously against hers.

His hands slipped down towards the crest of her hips, his thumb slowly stroking her hips as their kiss came to an end. Out of breath, the both of them parted. Itachi slipped back into his poker faced mode as he watched Sakura staring at him; her eyes glazed over with passion. His thumb lazily drew circles around her hipbones as he kept staring at her.

"Why?" she finally asked, quietly, as if she didn't want to know the answer.

His eyes remained cold; he didn't smile or grin as he slowly let go of her hips. He turned around slightly.

"I can do everything I like," he answered smoothly. If he felt any emotions at that moment, she wouldn't be able to tell. She had been accustomed to read other people's emotions and feelings by looking into their eyes, yet Itachi excluded nothing that could possibly indicate any emotion.

"You had no right to do that," she answered angrily.

"And to prove that there are other males on this planet, other than Sasuke," he added, not even indicating that he had heard her. "But you already knew that, did you not, Sakura?"

It was a rhetorical question, and she knew it. He had probably seen Deidara kiss her and assumed the wrong thing. She almost leapt into her defensive mode, until she realized that she owed him no explanation. She felt stupid as she closed her mouth again; realizing that she probably looked like a fish that was short on breath.

"I owe you no explanation for the things I do," she retorted heatedly. "The only one I need to explain things to is Sasuke, and you are not him, nor will you ever be."

"Nor do I wish to be Sasuke," Itachi replied smoothly. There was no sign whatsoever that she had stung him with her words.

"Let's go," Itachi said after a significant pause.

Sakura nodded and followed him towards Grass; pondering over the things that he had said, and above all, the things that he had done.

------------------

"How the hell do people survive out here?" Sakura wondered out loud as her foot got stuck in the high grass. She bit her lip in pure frustration as she tugged at her leg in a desperate attempt to break free. Finally, her foot shot free and she stumbled backwards, losing her balance before falling down on her behind.

_Smooth Sakura, smooth._

"That hurt," Sakura fumed. "You'd think you'd fall soft as the grass is this high."

"You really have the delicacy of an elephant," Itachi said as he appeared behind her, looking down at her.

"What is with you and your tendency to call people elephants?" Sakura retorted.

Her question was left unanswered though as Itachi's attention seemed to focus on something else. Itachi's calculating mind seemed to resurface as he scanned the area almost unnoticeable. His eyes turned to the right as he heard a rustle in the nearby bushes. A second later, he had identified the chakra, allowing himself to relax somewhat.

"Zetsu, come out," Itachi ordered quietly.

Immediately, a form sprouted out of the ground. Sakura shrieked as she tried to back away from the thing that had closed in on her. After she had calmed down slightly and lowered the kunai she had grabbed, she noticed that the thing standing in front of her was wearing an Akatsuki robe.

She eyed the Akatsuki robe wearing monster with suspicion, taking in his deformed appearance, as well as his half black, half white face. His eyes looked lifeless as he mimicked Sakura's movement and took her in.

"Who's that?" Zetsu asked harshly, not even bothering to introduce himself. His voice was deep, raspy and very unpleasant to the ears. Sakura couldn't suppress the shudder that ran up her back as he took a step closer.

"Yes," Zetsu said; this time in a complete different voice. This voice sounded younger somehow and it lacked the rasp that it had before. Itachi must have felt her confusion as he stared at her.

"Split personality," he said quietly as he stepped forward to meet Zetsu.

"This is my hostage, that's all you need to know," Itachi answered smoothly.

"Hostage, eh?" Zetsu replied in his dark, raspy voice.

_Okay, that voice is definitely called 'creepy'._

"Sanbi has been seen, Deidara and Sasori are after him," Zetsu reported in his softer voice. "The Leader thought you should know."

_Deidara?_

"Is that all?"

"Yes," the raspy voice was back. "That, and a warning that you haven't captured one of the bijuu yet, and neither did Kisame."

Itachi nodded before turning around and made his way back to Sakura. Zetsu gave her one last look before he grinned devilishly. The look that he had given her had something morbid, and she sighed with relief as Zetsu turned around before disappearing as soon as he appeared.

"Who was that?" Sakura asked, trying to control her nerves. An icy feeling had spread over her entire body and she desperately tried to cover up the goose bumps that had appeared on her arms. Itachi just glanced over her before staring off in the distance again.

"Zetsu, another from Akatsuki," he answered simply before looking down. "Are you ready?"

Sakura stood up, brushing the stray twigs and leafs from her hair. Brushing off her clothes, she walked towards Itachi. Itachi gave her a curt nod, before signaling that she was to follow him. He started running through the high grass and she complied reluctantly, too tired to fight with him.

"So, how many more members of Akatsuki are there?" Sakura asked, trying to start a conversation.

He didn't respond immediately. Sakura knew; she had learned several things about Itachi in the past couple of weeks; things that you could only see when you were paying close attention to him. For instance; he always discarded his robe after fighting, as if he wanted to get rid of the scent of blood. He always ate slowly, probably to enjoy his meals to the fullest. Whenever he didn't want to answer right away, he's pause for a while until she would think that he wouldn't answer. His questions and answers were mostly cryptic, completely the opposite from Sasuke's 'straight to the point' answers.

"You've met four, our organization consists of nine," he answered.

_What did I tell ya?_

Although she was slightly irritated with Itachi's cryptic answers, she smiled slightly with the knowledge that she was starting to learn about him. She smiled slightly at his back, admiring the way he moved and the way his hair seemed to flow in the wind as he jumped on another branch.

_Sorry Sasuke-kun… It seems I'm starting to like your ultimate betrayer…_

Her smile slowly faded as she mused over these thoughts, knowing them to be true. She was starting to like to hang around with Deidara and Kisame, but most of all; she liked being in the vicinity of Itachi as well.

------------------

In the land of Field, there stood a small building that led to an underground passage. Although it was just one building, that building was called; "The Hidden Village of Sound."

Hundreds of cells were located in the building, and there was one main room, lit by candles. Two people stood there, watching over a small candle as the silver-haired man stepped closer.

"Orochimaru-sama," he started. "They are coming soon."

The one called Orochimaru cackled softly, his eyes were yellow and his pupils were small slits, just like a snake's eyes. He stared at Kabuto before smiling in a vicious manner, a long tongue slipping out of his mouth to lick his lips.

"Let them come, Kabuto," Orochimaru said quietly. "I'll be waiting."

-------------------------

_**A/N: **That's it! A very unsuspected ending, no? Orochimaru finally showed up, together with Kabuto, yeah! And it seems that Tooya has his own little secrets._

_I really hope you all liked the kiss. To explain this further; Itachi basically just kissed her because he was jealous. He had seen Deidara's kiss and felt like Sakura was HIS woman, so Deidara should take his hands off her. Kisame won't be showing up for a while now, neither will Deidara and Sasori, so it'll just be Itachi and Sakura next chapter too._

_Who is Orochimaru waiting for? Where the hell is Sasuke? Is Sakura going to Sound?_

_Who knows? Perhaps the next chapter will tell you more about this little tidbit of information. For now, I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and if I don't see you again, a Happy New year too!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	12. Chapter 12

**Metamorphosis – An Itachi & Sakura story.  
By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/n: **Happy New Year to everybody! May it be filled with great stories and great new aspiring authors! This chapter is dedicated to somebody who sent me a wonderful PM which gave me some extra drive to continue with Metamorphosis; thank you for everything blacksheep18!_

**Chapter Twelve – The Last Peaceful Day**

"Tooya!"

The man named Tooya stood on top of a hill, watching over the Country of Grass like a hawk. She was going to be here, and this time without her precious Hoshigaki and Deidara. The only thing he'd have to worry about would be that Uchiha. Who was most lethal of their group. He sighed, turning around to look at his companion, Kira, who looked frightened.

"Come on Tooya let's go," Kira urged, shaking out his blond hair while he stepped closer. "That Uchiha is far too strong for us, and if he finds out about… About your condition, you'll get killed too."

"Since when does any of you care about my 'condition'?" Tooya asked calmly. "Mist has been trying to get rid of me for years; wouldn't it be the perfect solution if they take me as well? The entire village would be relieved from the burden that came when I was born."

"You know that not everybody feels the same about you," Kira retorted heatedly.

"I don't need friends or family, Kira," Tooya replied quietly, his light blue eyes narrowing slightly. "All I want out of life is to meet others, just like me, to prove to myself that I'm not a freak of nature. And to do that, I need that girl to take me to the kyuubi."

Kira slammed his fist into a tree, looking peeved as he took a few steps closer to Tooya. His eyes almost burning with rage and hatred. If Tooya would continue this useless pursuit of Haruno Sakura, he would lead both of them to their doom, no matter how strong they were.

"Listen to me Tooya, if you continue this useless pursuit of Haruno, you'll get killed," Kira spat out. "Haven't you seen those three Akatsuki members with her? Damn it, she's got Hoshigaki, Deidara and Uchiha. Do you honestly believe that we even stand a chance against them?"

Tooya opened his mouth to answer Kira before closing it again. He had felt two people nearing him, and judging by their chakras, it was definitely Deidara and his partner. He grinned slightly, knowing that they were coming for him. He turned around slightly, contemplating if he should go and meet them, or wait for Sakura to take him to the kyuubi.

"Tooya, let's go. If Deidara and Sasori find you, they'll kill you and your foolish ambitions will end," Kira said quietly, knowing exactly what Tooya was thinking. Tooya nodded slowly, still musing over his thoughts, before straightening himself from his crouching position. He watched as Kira disappeared into thin air, before following his example.

------------------

"It seems they are able to track us… yeah," Deidara said slowly as he tried to concentrate on the chakras of the sanbi and his companion.

"Found them," Sasori answered quietly. "It seems they are going towards Sand."

"Sand? Oh, nostalgia," Deidara grinned slightly. "What about Itachi… yeah?"

"He's in Grass… Somebody is with him," Sasori answered as he tried to focus on Itachi's chakra. Out of all Akatsuki members, he was the only one who could sense chakras, and identify them.

Deidara gave him a look before staring towards the same direction that Sasori was. "Kisame?" he asked quietly, as if he dreaded the answer to his simple question.

"No, Kisame isn't in the vicinity," Sasori answered slowly. "It's a medic nin, judging by the flow of the chakra."

"…Sakura," Deidara whispered as his grin slowly faded. She was alone with Itachi. His jaw clenched as he thought about the things that could happen while Kisame was gone. Sakura had an interest in Itachi, he knew, and if Itachi would kiss her again, he would lose the battle.

"Sakura?"

"Medic nin from Konoha, she was on her way to find Orochimaru, Itachi's little brother is there, remember… yeah? Well, it seems she was his team member during his time in Konoha, and she wants to see him again," Deidara explained hastily.

"What does Itachi want with her?" Sasori glanced at Deidara.

"It seems his eyes are deteriorating," Deidara sighed slightly.

"What is Itachi thinking, that girl could spill secrets from Akatsuki to her Hokage," Sasori thought aloud. Deidara shook his head slightly, before turning around to face Sasori.

"She wouldn't do that," Deidara retorted heatedly. "Besides, she's a missing nin, so the only one she could tell about Akatsuki would be Orochimaru; and he's not going to be around for much longer… yeah."

"True," Sasori smiled slightly. "That's what you get for leaving Akatsuki."

Deidara grinned, his mind at ease because Sasori accepted Sakura's stay with Itachi; he wouldn't make a fuss when he would see her. Not that he could protest much, Itachi was effective in shutting people up.

"Who's going?" he asked, the grin still plastered on his face. Deidara never really liked Orochimaru; he always thought it would be a great thing when the world would be Orochimaru-less. His ideas for immortality were sick, and Deidara was disgusted by them.

"Kisame and Zetsu are in the team, he'll probably add you and me to the team as well," Sasori answered. "Although we haven't been called yet."

"What about Itachi?" Deidara asked incredulously. "Leader is leaving him out of this? I would have thought that Itachi would lead this entire operation, Orochimaru is one hard bastard to kill... yeah."

"He wants Itachi to capture the kyuubi as soon as possible. He's been slacking off lately," Sasori replied simply.

"That's because of that Jiraiya," Deidara sighed. "You wouldn't believe how strong that man is, Itachi would have a hard time against him, especially now that his eyes are deteriorating."

"Hmm," Sasori agreed. "Let's go, the Sanbi is getting away."

"Of course, Sasori-sama," Deidara grinned.

Within a flash both of them disappeared into thin air, off to the land of Sand.

---------------------

"And why are we sharing a room together?" Sakura snapped as they made their way to their bedroom. "A honeymoon suite nonetheless!"

"He thought we were just married and offered this room for a good price," Itachi replied smoothly.

"A good price?" Sakura replied sarcastically. "Surely Itachi, you _do_ know that honeymoon suits only have _one_ bed, don't you? Where are you going to sleep? On the floor?"

"What makes you think that I will not take the bed and force you to sleep on the floor?" Itachi replied as he fought the urge to grin when he saw the look of disgust on Sakura's face.

"Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" Sakura retorted heatedly, before clamping her hand over her mouth; instantly realizing what a foolish mistake she had made. She watched Itachi like a hawk, but as usual, he wore his poker face mask. If he felt any emotion when she mentioned his mother, she would never know.

_Well, it's not like he cares anyway… He killed her in cold blood as well._

"Sorry," she apologized quietly.

His usual poke face look made place for a half amused one as he stopped in front of their door, turning around to face her. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I mentioned your mother… I thought it might be a taboo subject," Sakura clarified.

"I killed her," Itachi reminded her. "That means that I do not care."

"But, she was your mother, surely she meant something to you," Sakura coaxed. She wanted to know more about the mysterious man in front of her. Nobody could tell her anything about his childhood, except for Sasuke, and talking about Itachi with him would be suicide.

"She was the one who brought me on earth, that is all," he replied coolly, before sticking the key in the keyhole. It turned around with a soft click, and as Itachi opened the door, Sakura's mouth fell open.

The room was decorated white, like the room she had spent in during her first night with Akatsuki. But this one was decorated with the most beautiful, pink flowers she had ever seen. She mouthed a soft 'wow' before stepping into the room, admiring the small flowers.

"Cosmos," she whispered, the images of her and Ino sitting amidst the field of cosmos flowers entering her mind.

She turned around and smiled at Itachi, ignoring his cold look. "It's the cosmos flower," she pointed out happily, before walking further into the room. Itachi said nothing in response. He closed the door with a soft click, before following Sakura. To his dismay, Sakura was right and there was only one bed. This meant that either he had to sleep on the ground, or she had.

Any other man in his position would bow down graciously, before offering Sakura the bed, but Itachi was no ordinary man. They would have a fight over the bed, and he would not be the first one to back down.

Come to think of it, they were fighting and bantering a lot since Kisame and Deidara left. Not that he didn't enjoy it. It was one of the few pleasures in his life to talk with somebody who had moderate intelligence. Sakura definitely was one of those, nothing more, nothing less.

Itachi dropped his bag on the bed, before stalking off to the bathroom, checking the windows for any signs of Anbu members. Satisfied with what he saw, he stepped back into their bedroom, observing Sakura as she opened up the door that led to the balcony. The white curtains billowing because of the soft evening breeze that entered through the open doors. Itachi shrugged off his Akatsuki robes, before following her outside.

He stared at Sakura as she leaned on the balcony rails, a soft smile gracing her features. Her bubblegum colored hair softly moved as a breeze passed by. For a moment, he was speechless; something that had never happened before. Slightly put off as he realized this, he slipped back into his cold mode, before stepping forward.

During his twenty years on earth, he had several pictures of people in his mind. People who were important to him, or of any significance. One of them was his mother, tending to Sasuke's wounds after he had practiced a week to control a jutsu. Another one was Sasuke, sitting next to him as he silently agreed on the fact that he despised Itachi's genius mind. The third one was one of the kyuubi, as he stood in front of him, his chakra filling up the space. Lastly, there was Sakura; she was lying on the kitchen table, her hair fanned around her head as she gazed up to him, half angered, half filled with emotions that he could not name.

For the first time in his life, somebody had burned two images in his mind. Sakura's second picture; she was standing on the balcony, a breeze running through her hair, and the soft smile that she had on her lips.

"This is nice," Sakura commented softly, the smile still gracing her lips.

"A rare moment of peace," he agreed as he hooked his thumbs in his pockets.

"Itachi-san?" she started, waiting for him to give her his fullest attention. Once she was satisfied, she continued. "Why do people crave power?"

He paused slightly, wondering why she was asking this all of the sudden.

"They fear to be weak. Fear to die soon," he answered smoothly, his voice devoid of any emotions.

"What about revenge?" she asked softly. "What if you crave power to have your revenge?"

He glanced at her. It was about Sasuke, who else. Is that what it means to care about someone? To learn everything about that person? He fought the urge to sigh as he wondered about her question.

"A sense of justification," Itachi replied after a short pause.

"Justification?"

"Yes," he said quietly. "Take the murder of my clan with Sasuke as an example. Sasuke feels it's justice if he kills me after what I did to that idiotic clan. Only then can he live in peace."

"But if he kills you, his life-time ambition will be over," Sakura added thoughtfully. "What will he do then?"

"He is an avenger for one purpose, that is murdering me," Itachi replied coolly. "I imagine that he would start rebuilding the clan after that, which would be the perfect scene for you."

"For me?" she asked incredulously. "What do you mean by that?"

"Sasuke learned not love since that day," Itachi replied simply. "In order to revive the Uchiha clan, he would pick a lifetime 'friend' or companion. Female, naturally. Tell me; How many girls qualify for that?"

The tense pause that followed told him that his comment struck home. Although he was being harsh, he knew she needed to wake up from her foolish dream that Sasuke would love her one day. He would never do such a thing. Itachi was the same. Both had gone through much, and both had grown because of that. If Sasuke wanted to revive the Uchiha clan, he needed a girl. He did not need love for that.

"I don't care," she whispered, trying to camouflage the shakiness in her voice.

"You don't care that you're merely just a tool for Sasuke?" Itachi asked half-surprised. "I would never have guessed you for a fool Sakura."

"You don't know the first thing about Sasuke," she hissed, turning around to face him, her eyes blazing with anger. "He is not like you."

"On the contrary Sakura, he wants power too, only for different reasons."

"But he would never kill his family to gain it," Sakura retorted angrily.

"I didn't murder them for power Sakura," Itachi replied smoothly. "I needed to measure my container."

"Measure your container?" Sakura asked incredulously. "You killed your entire clan to check how strong you are?"

Itachi gave a curt nod before glancing over the Hidden Village of Grass. He could see her teeth sinking into her bottom lip; she wanted to say something, but was afraid to. After five weeks, he had become accustomed to her behavior, even if he didn't see her a lot.

Whenever she bit her bottom lip, she wanted to speak up, but found herself unable to. She would play with her hair whenever she felt embarrassed, look far away when she was thinking about something, and folded her hands in her lap as she waited for the opportune moment to say something.

People were so easy to read; even when they thought they could do a good job at hiding their emotions. He could figure out what somebody was thinking in mere seconds; even the famous Copy-nin could be easily read.

"You are afraid of me," he stated after a long, tension-filled pause.

"Of course I am," she snapped, finally finding her voice back. "What assurance do I have that you won't kill me whenever I cross one of your invisible borders?"

He turned around, crossing his legs as he leaned against the balcony railing, his hands folded. He smirked, something he rarely did before he looked straight at her, activating his Sharingan. Itachi just watched as she took a few steps backward, scared.

"Why are you activating your sharingan?" she asked quietly.

"Why are you afraid?" he asked, amusement etched in his voice.

"Because you can kill me instantly if you release your doujutsu on me," Sakura whispered quietly. "Because you're the strongest person I've ever met."

"Correct. Isn't it now that you crave for power, so that you can kill me?" Itachi said coolly. "When these moments occur, aren't you afraid that you might get killed within the next five seconds?"

"…Yes," she whispered.

"All living beings are the same Sakura. Whenever threatened with death, they crave for power so that they can survive," he continued smoothly. "There are no exceptions, except those who wish for death."

She visibly relaxed as he de-activated his Sharingan, admiring how the midnight blue of his eyes bled back into the blood red.

"I'm not one who kills just for the hell of it Sakura," Itachi turned around and walked calmly towards the door. "I wouldn't kill you."

With those words, he disappeared behind the white curtains, leaving Sakura behind with a puzzled look in her eyes.

---------------

She stayed outside until she almost froze to death before entering their suite again. Sakura had a lot to think about and everything Itachi said had given her some enlightenment about her situation. However, there were other things to consider.

Would she mind if Sasuke just used her to revive his clan?

She would. She had been craving for Sasuke's love since she saw him, almost ten years ago. He never reciprocated, always letting her down whenever she asked for a date. What Itachi said made sense; Sasuke was an avenger, if he killed Itachi his life goal would be over, and he would focus on reviving his clan.

"_I have an ambition. That is to kill a certain man, and the revival of my clan."_

The idea of him using her as a tool was saddening, but the more she thought about it, the more she knew she wouldn't want to be used like that. She wanted his affection, his love. She didn't wish for his body alone.

Making a mental note to talk some more about this with Itachi, she fought her way through the white curtains, stepping inside the warmth of the room. She glanced around the room, before noticing that Itachi wasn't in the room anymore. A futon was rolled out on the floor next to the bed, and the curtains around the bed were closed.

_Must be Itachi's futon. I never imagined him to be graceful and give me the bed._

She smiled slightly, before quickly undressing. Clad in only her oversized, silky black shirt that Itachi had given her, and her panties; she opened the curtains, slid into the warm covers of the king size bed, and closed the curtains again. Wrapping herself in the soft, warm sheets, her eyelids slowly closed.

"What are you doing, Sakura?" a soft male voice called out to her. Her sea-foam eyes shot open as she identified the voice as Itachi's. She sat up straight, before clicking on a light. What she saw made her eyes widen and her heart hammered in her chest.

Itachi was lying next to her, wearing only his pants, which seemed to be his sleeping gear. Although his midnight blue eyes looked as alert as ever, she spotted the tiredness that filled his eyes. He had probably been asleep, and woke up when Sakura entered the bed. She got a glorious look at his abs as he sat up straight as well, his muscles tensing slightly.

Unaware that she was staring at him, her gaze roamed over his broad torso, his well defined six-pack and stopped at the small plane of hair on his lower abdomen. Her eyes shot up to meet his as he stared at her; the same cold look as ever was etched into his features.

"I-I wanted... I just…" Sakura stammered, not knowing exactly what to say.

He said nothing as he sat down on his knees. He leaned forward slightly, his arm resting next to her leg to support his weight. Inch by inch, he came closer towards her, until she could feel the warmth of his body radiating against hers.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked hoarsely. She stiffened as she felt his lips on her neck, his warm breath fanning across her skin. She could swear that she felt him grin against her skin as his lips parted slightly.

"I thought it would be clear that the futon on the ground is yours," he answered simply, before pulling away. He looked at her expectantly, and it took Sakura some time to figure out that he wanted her to sleep on the ground. The look of shock immediately changed into anger as she scowled.

"Uchiha Itachi, you have quite the nerve," Sakura snapped, her sea-foam eyes darkening. "How could you tell a girl to sleep on the floor? You really don't have any manners!"

Itachi grunted before he lied down on the bed, signaling that he didn't want to continue bantering. She would sleep on the ground, end of story. He never had intention to leave his bed, and if she started shrieking until he would go away… Well, let's say that that scenario would lead in his eyes deteriorating slightly.

"A girl? If you see one, tell me," he retorted easily.

Sakura fumed. Firstly; he stole the bed. Secondly, he didn't acknowledge her as woman. Angered, she threw a punch at him, which he caught easily. They stared at each other for the longest time as Itachi's thumb lazily stroked over her knuckles.

"Let go," she said as soon as she has mustered all her willpower to break free from him.

"No," he answered. His long fingers gripped her wrist as he pulled her closer, until she was hovering over him. Her long hair fell over her shoulder, slightly obscuring her view as his hand moved around her neck. Itachi pulled her closer and closer. His fingertips drew circles around her neck, caressing the soft hair on the base of her neck.

His midnight blue eyes took in her widened sea-foam eyes, before he moved his head to meet her lips. His lips slowly brushed over her soft lips. He relinquished his hold on her neck, before pulling her down under him. Sakura's eyes widened slightly in shock as he hovered above her, waiting for him to kiss her, and when it finally happened, no words could describe the explosion of emotions that she felt.

His soft lips pressed against hers, his eyes blazing with emotion that she hadn't seen before. Desire and lust filled his eyes as his tongue delicately swept over her bottom lip, making her shiver in sheer delight. He bit down softly on her lip, sucking on the soft flesh as he took her lip in his mouth.

Sakura's hands roamed over his naked torso, admiring his strong build, feeling the iron muscles underneath the soft skin that belonged to the dark haired Uchiha. Itachi apparently had enough of his little play with her bottom lip as he pressed his lips against hers possessively, nudging her lips slightly to deepen the kiss. As soon as the tip of his tongue touched hers, stroking hers passionately, she snaked her arms around his waist, raking her fingernails over his spine.

He relinquished the kiss as he moved his body next to her, lying on his side as he instigated another toe-curling kiss. His right hand slowly stroked her side and rested on top of her hipbone. Itachi started to stroke her hip softly, as his mouth devoured Sakura. Her whimper was not missed by him as his hand started to roam over her body, first drawing circles around her stomach, before tracing the outline of her enticing breast.

Sakura arched her back, wanting to feel more of his body weighing on hers, the warmth that he radiated. She sighed as his arm hand cupped her breast before tilting her head slightly so she could reach his ear. Sakura gently nipped at his earlobe, causing Itachi to stop with his assault on her body momentarily. This caused Sakura to crawl back out of the depths of desire and lust as she rested her chin on top of his shoulder.

"Itachi-san… I've got to go to the bathroom," Sakura breathed out as his hand slowly retreated.

Slowly, she pushed back until she could see his eyes. The cold exterior was back again, signaling nothing to indicate that they had been doing something intimate only seconds ago. He nodded, before lying down again. She sighed, before crawling over his long legs. As soon as she fought her way through the curtains, she regretted leaving the bed. It was warm and cozy inside. Out here, the air felt cold against her heated skin as she made her way to the bathroom, picking up her bag in process.

She closed the door with a gentle click, before rummaging in her backpack. Sakura held up a small, green flask. This would be her one and only opportunity to use it.

------------------------

Itachi just watched as she made her way out of the bed, immediately missing her warmth against his bare skin. He smirked as she fought with the white curtains that were draped around the bed, before making her way to the bathroom. As soon as the bathroom door shut with a gently click, his midnight blue eyes focused on the pillow next to him.

He had never expected anything like this to happen when he took her with him. He would have let her heal his eyes and set her free, yet he couldn't explain why he had the sudden urge to have her near him. If not for this urge, he would have set her free long ago. But not only did he keep her as a hostage, he did the unthinkable; kissing her.

After he saw Deidara and Sakura sharing a kiss, it felt as if his insides were burning, and he had the urge to just go ahead and kiss Sakura without restraint. Not that he didn't enjoy it.

Unconsciously, his fingertips touched his lips, as if he wanted to feel the sensation of her lips on top of his once again. Her lips were perfect; soft and warm. Her taste was unique, something he wanted to taste all day long. Itachi sighed.

It was out of character for him to feel anything for anybody and he wouldn't ever feel more then respect for another human being; yet he felt new emotions whenever Sakura was around. He blamed his belated hormones for that. Lust and desire was a dark thing, and it should be handled with caution. Next time, he should be on his guard whenever this happened. He could not afford any mistakes.

His train of thoughts was rudely interrupted as Sakura shuffled out of the bathroom door, closing it softly. He could feel her closing in on the bed slowly, hesitantly, before walking in a huge circle around it. He followed her chakra with his eyes, every little sound she made indicating where she was. Finally, a curtain was opened on the other side of the bed and Sakura shuffled in slowly.

She was playing with hr hair, indicating that she was embarrassed, and biting down on her bottom lip, showing that she wanted to say something.

"Something wrong, Sakura?" Itachi tried to coax it out of her. She bit down even harder on her lip.

"Can… Can I sleep next to you?" Sakura asked, looking away out of sheer embarrassment. Itachi stared at her, trying to read her emotions, to see if she had any hidden agenda.

"Why?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"It's warm in there," she responded simply, the blush still apparent on her cheeks.

Once he was satisfied with his little analyses, he scooted over so that Sakura could lie down. She stepped closer to the bed, not wanting to look too willingly as she bit on her lower lip. She eyed Itachi with slight suspicion.

"I don't take advantage of sleeping women Sakura," Itachi said quietly. "Besides, you were the one who asked if you could sleep in the same bed as me."

"I know," she stammered. "I just… Never mind."

She sighed, gathering all her courage before sliding between the covers next to Itachi. He seemed comfortable lying next to her, his arm propped under his head. Sakura on the other hand was a nervous wreck. This was the first time that she ever slept next to a man, a man who had less then pure intentions with her; she could gather that from his kisses. But he also was a man of his word. If he promised he wouldn't touch her, she could be certain that he wouldn't. Not that he would get the opportunity to do anything to her.

She bit her lip in anticipation of what she was going to do, gathered all her courage once more, before leaning over to Itachi. His dark eyes watched hers as she moved closer towards him. She bowed down slightly, until her lips brushed against her, instigating a kiss between the two of them. Unlike the first ones, this one was filled with tenderness instead of passion and lust.

When Itachi pulled away from the innocent kiss, he noted that she tasted slightly different this time. Unable to categorize the taste, he moved back in for another kiss, his hand cupping the back of her neck. They lied entwined on the bed for several moments, before breaking up hesitantly.

Sakura's cheeks were slightly red, her lips reddened because of the bruising kisses they had shared and her hair was slightly tangled. She smiled softly at him, before lying down again. Itachi mimicked the gesture, feeling sleepy all of the sudden. Sakura mouthed a 'good night' before turning around, her back facing him.

Itachi moved over slightly, spooning against her so that he could absorb the warmth of her body. He threw his arm around her waist, almost possessively, before sleep overtook him. The last thoughts on his mind focused on the backpack of Sakura, and the anesthetic she had put in there.

--------

Sakura tensed as she felt Itachi closing in on her, his arm over her waist. She relaxed gradually as she heard his breathing steadying, signaling that he was falling asleep. Sakura was afraid to move before he had fallen asleep completely, afraid that he might kill her after he had found out about the anesthetic. She had put enough on her lips to knock out an elephant, but Itachi had a lot of willpower and if he had found out about her drugging him, she could be almost certain that he would follow her, walking on willpower alone.

Sakura counted the hours that he would be asleep and did the math to see how far she would come if Itachi would wake up. Assuming that he wouldn't wake up until she had reached Waterfall, she gently pushed his arm out of the way, checking if he would wake up.

When his breathing didn't change, and he didn't make any sound, she dared to turn around. He looked somewhat peaceful, rather then the cold soldier she knew he was. The lines on his face seemed to lessen slightly when he relaxed. His long, dark lashes cast shadows around his eyes, and his perfect lips were parted slightly; his hot breath warming her cheeks.

Sakura knew that she wouldn't ever see him again after this. When he'd catch up with her, she would long be reunited with Sasuke. Even though her heart felt heavy at the prospect of leaving Itachi, Deidara and Kisame, she couldn't help but be overjoyed with the thought of seeing Sasuke again.

She smiled softly, leaning in for another small peck. She caressed his long, dark hair, before tracing the lines on his face, followed his jaw line and touched his warm lips lastly. She moved off the bed, turning around to throw a blanket over Itachi's sleeping form. Sakura took one last, lingering look at him before turning around. She grabbed her backpack from the floor, dressed herself quickly, and dashed through the balcony window towards her freedom.

To Sound… To Sasuke.

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_**A/N: **Yeah, I wanted to comment a little bit about most of the review that I've gotten. _

_I've gotten a lot of positive response on Sasori's entry in the fanfiction, which is great; however, it seems that a lot of you are SasoSaku fans. I've gotten a bunch of requests to make Sasori fall in love with Sakura and all, and because of my limited time, I couldn't reply to all of you about this matter. The fact of the matter is that I'm not going to let Sasori and Sakura fall in love. This is an ItaSaku story, with an ItaSakuDei love triangle, so no; Sasori won't be falling in love with her._

_Secondly; I sincerely apologize if some of you thought Itachi to be OOC in this chapter. But hey, Itachi's a grown up guy, who needs some female attention from time to time. Their kisses were an ending for her time as a hostage, and the prelude for the second arc actually. So yeah, again, I apologize for any OOC-ness._

_Lastly, I'm very happy that a lot of you like the DeiSaku pairing, and some of you even fell in love with this pairing because of Metamorphosis! I'm very honored! Thank you for all your great reviews and comments, even if I don't reply to all of them due lack of time, I read every single one of them, and my heart fills with joy to know that there's this much people who enjoy Metamorphosis! You rock!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	13. Chapter 13

**Metamorphosis – An Itachi & Sakura story.  
By: MitsukiShiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**_A/n: _**_I sincerely apologize for this belated installment. Trust me, I wanted to update as soon as I got back from Disney, but then this HUGE writer's block appeared, and I didn't have any inspiration to continue for a while. I'm still not satisfied with this chapter though… I hope you won't hate it._

**Chapter Thirteen – Go If You Must**

"I'm getting sick of this, yeah," Deidara grumbled. "First he sends us out to get that damn sanbi, and now we have to report at headquarters. Leader's a genius, but he's a bit indecisive if you ask me… yeah."

After a tense pause, Deidara glanced at Sasori to find his partner staring in another direction, completely focused as he blocked out all other sounds. He sighed; Sasori was obviously using his technique to find chakra's again. The man never gave up, even if the Leader himself tried to stop him.

"That kunoichi you were talking about," Sasori whispered quietly. "She left Itachi."

"Say what?" Deidara asked; his eyes widened slightly as he tried to regain his composure.

"She's nearing Waterfall quickly," Sasori replied easily. "Itachi is still in Grass though."

"Damn it," Deidara swore. "Why the hell did he let her go by herself. Sakura's strong, but she's no match for Orochimaru… yeah."

Carelessly brushing his long, red bangs out of his eyes, Sasori tried to find Itachi's chakra again; noting quickly that Itachi's chakra almost seemed sedated.

"Itachi's asleep," he answered simply. "It seems the kunoichi sedated him… Do you still think she's trustworthy?"

"She is," Deidara quickly replied. "She just wants to see the person she loves most again… I'm still surprised that she managed to sedate Itachi though. It's not like him to drop his guard like that."

"I am sure that he'll be more on his guard then ever after this," Sasori smiled. "But have you ever thought about it that Itachi might still be awake?"

Deidara stared at Sasori before answering. "What are you saying? You just told me that it seemed that Itachi was drugged… yeah."

"Itachi isn't one to fall for such an easy trick like that," Sasori stated; the smile still plastered on his face. "Either he's really slacking off or he's just playing along and he'll kill her later on."

He watched in mild amusement as his partner gritted his teeth. He had known Deidara for many years and it wasn't too hard to see that his blond partner had an interest in the kunoichi. He was looking forward to meet this mysterious kunoichi; she seemed interesting enough.

He grinned slightly as he mimicked Deidara's movement and dashed towards the country of River in double speed. If Orochimaru was murdered before this Sakura could get to him, Deidara would have nothing to worry about. If she arrived earlier than the Akatsuki members at Sound – which would undoubtedly happen – she would be murdered by Orochimaru.

Sasori had known Orochimaru for a few years; it wasn't hard to learn about Orochimaru's sick mind as he didn't mind people knowing his secrets. He wasn't like Itachi, who hid his emotions all the time. He grinned slightly with the prospect of seeing his old team member again.

_Ah…Soon my friend, we will meet each other again._

---------------------

The moonlight illuminated the way in front of Sakura as she dashed through the Hidden Village of Waterfall, determined to get to Sound before dawn; before Itachi would wake up.

The only sounds that she could hear were the waterfalls in the distance and she could occasionally hear a few birds chirping. She shook the stray pink strands of hair from her eyes before halting slightly. Her chakra was drained after she had used it for hours to run and she was starting to get hungry.

She stopped running after she had left the village; unnoticed, thankfully. Grabbing her backpack, she quickly opened it up and took one of her apples out. She had found a bowl of fruit lying in the reception and she just couldn't resist.

_Itachi should be waking up around this time… I wonder how angry he'll be…_

Deciding that she didn't want to face an angered Itachi head on, she quickly finished her apple before drinking some water. Her throat was parched and it welcomed the water as it flowed down her throat. She splashed some of the water over her face before drying her face with her sleeve.

That's when she felt it.

She had never felt chakra this strong, not even when Gaara or Naruto fought. She instantly realized that this was a person of an entire different caliber and it would be wise to run as far as possible. Especially because it seemed to run towards her.

She molded her chakra as fast as she could and started to sprint through the country.

_Who could it be? Kisame is an option, and then again, so is Deidara… But neither of their chakras are this strong. Itachi is sedated, there's no way that he can be this close to me already. Even if he started to chase me, he couldn't be any farther than the border of Grass and Waterfall._

She bit her lip out of pure frustration. How many obstacles were going to stand in her way before she would be allowed to reach Sasuke? She cursed as she felt the chakra nearing her quickly and doubled her speed. She had to reach Sound, no matter what.

Sakura's eyes squinted slightly as she scanned the horizon. It was tinged red and the moon was slowly fading. Almost sunset and she was nowhere near Sound.

Sakura was tired and worn out; she had never used this much chakra. She panted as she forced her legs to keep moving. Even if her stamina increased tremendously after her training with Tsunade, she wasn't anywhere near the stamina level of the more experienced shinobi; like Kakashi or Naruto.

She focused on the chakra behind her, trying to figure out who it was. Whoever it was, he traveled alone, which would exclude Deidara; he was on a mission with Sasori. Kisame wasn't this strong, she was certain of it. He had a monstrous amount of chakra, but it didn't feel like this one. That only left Itachi and that mysterious shinobi from Mist. She was certain that Itachi was still asleep, or had just woken up and the Mist shinobi traveled along with another shinobi.

And then it stopped.

No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, the chakra she had felt so clearly just seconds before had disappeared into thin air; as if it wasn't there in the first place. She gasped with the realization who it might be. Ignoring the pain in her legs, she sprinted towards the border, determined not to meet her chaser. If by any chance she would meet him, she would be murdered. There would be no question about that.

--------------------

"Kakashi-sempai," a voice called out. The man called Kakashi turned around slightly; showing his student that he was listening.

"How long until we get there?" Naruto asked quietly. He wasn't tired, not even worn out; he just trembled with excitement to see his friends again and to bring them back home. He knew it would work out in the end; he would bring both of them back.

His ANBU mask that represented a fox dangled around his neck as he tried to keep up with Genma and Kakashi. The stray bangs of hair that hung in front of his eyes was blown away as a breeze passed by. His sky blue eyes were focused on Kakashi; waiting for his answer.

"Two more days from now," Kakashi answered simply. His lone eye closed slightly as he smiled. Inwardly, he sighed. How many times had he been through this? A team member leaves; one is left devastated while the other one shuts his true emotions away. He glanced at Naruto before focusing back on the road in front of him.

In the years that Sasuke had left, Naruto and Sakura both changed tremendously. They started out as a fun-loving team; all with high hopes and dreams. Naruto wanted to become the Hokage, Sasuke wanted to revive his clan and have his revenge… And Sakura… He never knew what Sakura truly wanted. Whether she truly just wanted to marry Sasuke, or become the greatest medic of all times after she had seen Tsunade in action; he would always be there for her, supporting her.

Kakashi blamed himself for not watching over her like he watched over Sasuke and Naruto. He never knew what hit him when Tsunade came to him and told him that she was training Sakura. Jiraiya had come to him first, telling Kakashi that he was going to train Naruto. Then Tsunade, telling him that she was training Sakura. In one week, he had lost all of his students.

Then again, he was grateful that the legendary sannin would train them. Naruto had become even more powerful than Kakashi and Sakura was a top-classed medic who almost stood on the same level as Tsunade did. He couldn't be more proud of them.

"Kakashi," a smooth voice came from his side. He glanced at Genma as his train of thoughts left him.

"What is it Genma?" he asked simply. He watched as his friend bit down on the senbon that was perched between his lips. There were times that Kakashi questioned himself whether that senbon had been glued to Genma's lips.

"We're nearing something," Genma said as his chestnut brown eyes focused on the road in front of them. "Don't you feel that chakra?"

"Aa… It's one of Akatsuki," Kakashi replied. "I saw him before… Hoshigaki Kisame."

"Akatsuki?" Genma hissed, trying to keep his voice under control. "The Fifth never said that we had to battle the Akatsuki members as well."

"We don't," Kakashi replied calmly. "Our mission is to go to Sound, get Sakura and Sasuke and go back. If Orochimaru rebels, which he undoubtedly will, we will have to fight him while the backup team escapes with Sasuke and Sakura."

Genma looked at his friend; he trusted Kakashi with his life. If Kakashi said that there was nothing to worry about from Akatsuki, he'd trust that without a doubt. However, it was strange that they felt one of the strongest Akatsuki members near Sound.

"What if their headquarters are near?" Genma said; calmed down slightly.

"We'll report this to the Fifth later on," Kakashi said easily. "For now, we follow our instructions."

Genma nodded. He understood the importance of this mission; Uchiha Sasuke was an extraordinary ninja that Konoha couldn't afford losing to Orochimaru. Haruno Sakura was one of the best medics that Konoha ever had.

The only time he saw Sasuke was during the Chuunin exam, weeks before he left, and even in that fleeting moment that he and Gaara were battling, Genma could feel the inner strength of Sasuke resounding in his every movement. He always thought that Sasuke would be a genius, that's why he sent out Sasuke to get Gaara. After that, it went downhill. Genma never saw Sasuke again after that. He occasionally saw Sakura though, especially when she was training with the Fifth.

Never being able to learn medical jutsu himself, he admired her greatly for her strength. He sighed inwardly.

_Both are admirable for sticking to their believes and goals…Even if their choices aren't always the good ones._

----------------

It was well past sunset when Deidara and Sasori walked into the cave in the Country of River; their headquarters. Sasori raised his arm to greet Kisame, who was sitting on a huge rock near the entrance. Once their eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the cave, they could make out the form of Zetsu as well.

Their leader stood on the other side of the cave, his spiral red eyes watching Deidara, Sasori and Kisame as they walked inside.

"I'll get right to the point," Leader spoke up. His eyes scanned the eyes of the four Akatsuki members in front of him before he continued. "This is an assassination. The four of you are to go to Orochimaru's hideout in Sound. You'll murder him and this Yakushi Kabuto."

"Excuse me Leader," Kisame rasped. "Why isn't Itachi here? If we had Itachi on our team, the assassination of Orochimaru would be quickened."

"All four of you are not Akatsuki worthy if you're not able to defeat Orochimaru with ease," the leader replied coolly. "Remember, Kisame, he was one of the weakest among us. All four of you are dismissed."

They nodded before walking out of the cave again, squinting their eyes as they adjusted to the light. They said nothing as Kisame grabbed his Samehada and strapped it on his back.

"To Sound then?" Deidara said; his trademark grin back on his lips.

"To Sound," the others agreed, before vanishing into thin air.

--------------------

Sakura collapsed on the ground as soon as she spotted the border of the Country of Field. She was tired, hungry, thirsty and worn out. The chakra that had been chasing her earlier seemed to have disappeared into thin air and it didn't return for the remains of her journey. She knew it didn't mean much though, if Itachi didn't want her to find him, she wouldn't stand a chance.

He had pulled off a similar stunt when she escaped from Kisame, and she wasn't able to track him until he removed the jutsu and showed her his chakra. This meant that he could either be far away, or very close.

She panted hard as she sneaked closer towards the border, cursing as she found a couple of Waterfall shinobi standing guard. She didn't have a pass that said that she could cross the borders, neither any kind of identification.

She was also listed in the bingo book of S-Class criminals; ANBU members wouldn't chase her otherwise. There was only one option left; she'd have to find a way to sneak past the guard. She crept closer towards the guards as she tried to count them.

"Sixteen, all ANBU," a voice spoke from behind her.

Shocked, she grabbed a kunai as she whirled around to face Itachi's poker face. Nothing on his features indicated anger or any other kind of emotion. He just faced her before looking at the guards.

"Waterfall is specialized in water element attacks," he continued, acting as if nothing had happened. "They also like to use attacks that summons mist."

"What are you doing here?" Sakura hissed, half angered, half afraid.

He paused in his speech, his blood-red Sharingan eyes focusing back on her. He scrutinized her before answering. "I do not like it when people try to poison me."

"That's… I…" she stammered, before regaining her composure. "It's your fault for kidnapping me. If you let me go before, I wouldn't have to sedate you to get away."

"You didn't need to," Itachi answered simply. His lips formed a small smirk as he leaned in towards her. "You were free to go since you healed my eyes."

Her sea foam eyes widened in response; she clenched her jaw as she stared at him with her most menacing glare. "Then why didn't you say so?" she managed to spat out.

"I thought it would be clear to you that I had no further use for you," Itachi replied smoothly. "If I still considered you my hostage, you would have never crossed the border of Grass without me."

"But I sedated you," she whispered hoarsely. "There's no way that you could have woken up and caught up with me this fast…"

He paused before answering. Perhaps he didn't want to answer her, knowing that he would tell her about one of his techniques. Perhaps he didn't want to share the knowledge. He leaned in somewhat and scanned her features. It was easy to see that she was scared but she was determined to cross the border. He admired her inner strength; a lot of shinobi would give up in a situation like hers, but she wouldn't waver from her path.

"I also know medical jutsu," Itachi replied after glancing at the guards. "I am able to counter anesthetics and certain kinds of poison with my chakra."

"How did you know that I used an anesthetic?" she asked, amazed at the man's skills. Whenever she thought she had figured him out, he did another amazing thing. He truly was full of surprises.

"You tasted different."

"I-I what?" Sakura stuttered; shocked at what he just said.

"Your lips, they tasted different after you had put the anesthetic on them," Itachi said coldly.

Clenching her jaw in pure frustration, Sakura glanced towards the guards. She wanted to ask him why he had come after her if he did not care about her; whether as a hostage or something more. Taking a deep breath, she faced Itachi.

"Why did you come after me?" she asked coolly. "You don't care for Sasuke or me, so why did you come?"

"I have business that needs to be handled," Itachi replied easily.

"Business," Sakura snorted. "And this business would take you to Sound?"

Itachi glared at her, before standing up. "I do not need to explain my every move to you Sakura," he retorted. "But it will take me close to Sound."

"What will?" Sakura asked, afraid of the answer.

"The Kyuubi," he responded as he placed the straw Akatsuki hat on his head. He watched as the angered expression on her face turned into fear. She knew what he was talking about; Naruto was trying to hunt her down and now was the perfect opportunity to capture him.

"Don't…" she pleaded as she gripped his robes. "Please don't kill Naruto."

"I want to become stronger," Itachi replied as he looked down at her, his eyes devoid of any emotion. "Naruto-kun is my ticket to power, therefore I need him."

"But you're the strongest person I've ever met," Sakura kept begging. "Surely you don't need Naruto to become stronger?"

Itachi remained quiet as he stared at Sakura. She had kissed him, sedated him and finally, she ran away from him. If anyone else would try to do such a thing, he would be long gone by now; yet he didn't wish for Sakura's death. He wished to get to know her better. She kissed him when she thought he was asleep. Even if the kisses before that one were fake and just insinuated to sedate him, the last one was genuine. She had feelings for him; whether lust, desire or love, they were there.

"I am Akatsuki, Sakura," he replied smoothly as he put their scene in the bed out of his mind. "If I didn't wish for more power to become the strongest shinobi that this world has ever seen, I would not have murdered my family and joined Akatsuki."

Her eyes widened as her grip on his robes slightly lessened. He stood there for a few more seconds, scrutinizing her. She was trembling slightly at the prospect of losing her friend. If he were anymore compassionate like Deidara, he would kiss her and tell her everything was going to be alright.

Unfortunately for Sakura; he wasn't that kind of man. He would never be gentle; he would never know how to love somebody, because all of that were withheld from his childhood. He never learned to love, and he never will.

"I don't care for anybody Sakura," Itachi continued ruthlessly. If she wanted to leave him, she could, but he needed something to sting her with; to tell her how Uchiha men worked. Sasuke would never love her; he refrained himself from loving anyone since the massacre. Itachi would never love someone; these feelings would weaken him in battle. To be the ultimate shinobi means to make ultimate sacrifices.

"I'll kill everybody who stands in my way. Know this; if you ever see me again, do not try to sedate me once more. It might be the last time you do so."

She gasped as he turned around, getting ready to leave. There was so much she wanted to ask him, even though her insides were burning slightly. He just told her that he didn't love anyone… Did he just use her for his own good? Did he wish for a bed partner, rather than somebody to love?

"Wait, Itachi," she stopped him in his tracks. Sakura watched him as he turned around slightly, signaling that she had his attention. She paused, thinking over her words carefully. She didn't want to know that his words had stung her, but most of all, she didn't want him to think of her as weak. She swallowed hard as she opened her mouth to speak up.

"Thank you," she spoke up, ironically using the last words that Sasuke had spoken to her.

He said nothing in return as he glared at her. Itachi curtly nodded before disappearing into the forest, leaving no sign that he had just stood there moments ago.

Sakura fought back the tears that welled up in the corners of her eyes. She wouldn't see him again, nor Deidara and Kisame… Not even her friends and family back in Konoha.

This was her goal; the end of her journey. She had left Konoha six weeks ago, and even though she made it to Sound, she had an experience that she wouldn't ever forget. She had lost friends, family; yet gained friends, and now, she would find her loved one again.

A sad smile found its way to Sakura's lips as she stood up, full of confidence. She was worn out, tired and sad. But her heart filled with joy with the prospect of seeing Sasuke again. Finally, after six years of patient waiting; they would be reunited.

Encouraged by that thought, she walked into the dark forest that would lead her to Sound.

------------------------

**_A/N: _**_That's it! It's over and done with; the first arc of Metamorphosis is finally done!_

**_Edit (18th of January): Evolution (sequel to Metamorphosis) is up! You can find the link in my profile!_**

_I really want to apologize for this chapter, it's really bad compared to the other chapters, and I'm so sorry that this has been a boring chapter for all of you. Again, I really apologize. A writer's block got a hold of me, and I was about two weeks late from my weekly update. _

_But, as you might have noticed, there are three parties on their way to Orochimaru, so this would be fun! Sakura is closest to them but we can't rule out the Akatsuki assassination mission and the Konoha team either! So, what's going to happen in arc 2? Who knows? … Okay I do._

_A few more things that I wanted to say;_

_I've received countless reviews over this one, and I'll say it once and only once; Deidara, my ladies and gents, is MALE. When watching episode 135, a man is talking, and says; "Don't be hasty, yeah, we'll kill Orochimaru eventually, hmm." This is Deidara, and you can clearly hear that he's a male (he's got an even deeper voice then Itachi has)._

_Thank you all so much for holding out with me during this story. There have been times where it was hard to focus on this story, writer blocks and all, but the nice PM's you've send me, together with the sweetest reviews ever and the enormous amount of response I've gotten on Metamorphosis helped me through all of this. You rock!_

_See you in Evolution!_

_--MitsukiShiroi_

_(P.S; For the ones who were asking, I am female, haha!)_

_(P.P.S; If you want to contact me, I've got a livejournal; www(dot)mitsukishiroi(dot)livejournal(dot)com._


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